Exclusive Interview With Matsuyama Chiichi: Art Brings Us Closer To Each Other In An Era Far Away From Each Other

On July 19, the new public art project "Shinjuku East Square" was officially launched at Shinjuku Station of East Rail (Jr) in Tokyo, Japan. Shinjuku Station has been certified by Guinness World Records as the most used station in the world. This new cultural landmark is close to the east exit of the station, an eight meter high mirror sculpture of a boy with a bouquet of flowers standing in the center of the Art Park, welcoming more than 3.5 million passengers a day. The ground around the boy is covered with colorful flower patterns that combine natural, seasonal and traditional Japanese culture elements. The static ground patterns and the dynamic images reflected by the sculptures set off each other. The colorful and vivid earth art constantly evokes a new visual and spatial experience of the surrounding world.

Japan has always been conservative in the choice of public art, and usually chooses the works of well-known foreign artists or well-known Japanese artists, such as the French sculptor Louise In Tokyo, a large-scale public art exhibition of "Shiji" is performed in Tokyo's "naoi city" public hall, while the "Japanese" art exhibition is a relatively rare one in Tokyo. Recently, Matsuyama chiichi was interviewed by the 21st century economic reporter to share his ideas behind his artistic creation and his thoughts on the relationship between the city and public art.

Art and the art of a pure mountain. Born in Japan in 1976, he moved to the United States with his parents as a child, and then returned to Japan to complete his bachelor's degree in business. Unable to adapt to the conservative atmosphere and the nine to five life in China, he tried to become a professional skier. However, due to an unexpected fracture, he had no choice but to give up skiing, and finally chose to study for a master's degree in creative design from Pratt College of art in the United States. He embarked on the road of art and has been living and creating in Brooklyn, New York for a long time. When I look at his past works, I always think that what he painted is a fairy tale or a child's dream. The images of knight, thousand birds, moon, starry sky, flowers and plants are combined with gorgeous colors, which reminds people of a common word in Chinese and Japanese: "gorgeous", which means "gorgeous and exquisite".

When he talks about the differences between the two countries (Japan) in the 21st century, he said that they are almost different in their cultural identities However, it is not difficult to find that his introspection of his own growth environment and global identity is mostly hidden in his artistic inspiration. He combined the characteristics of the two cultures to create, whether it was the Japanese art style of the Edo and Meiji era, such as the hunting field school and ukiyo painting, or the elements of classical Greek and Roman statues, French Renaissance paintings, post-war contemporary art and American popular culture, etc., all of them re mixed and pieced together according to his own vein to weave a dreamlike collection A great success.

Matsumoto station, as the most popular public transportation station in the world, is the largest public transportation station in the world. The most eye-catching features of Shinjuku in the daytime are numerous skyscrapers, and the twin towers of Tokyo Metropolitan Government office building also stand in the area; Shinjuku at night gives way to neon lights with futuristic flavor, which are spread all over high-end shopping malls and gourmet restaurants, depicting a luxurious night life picture. Like the pulse of Tokyo day and night, Shinjuku has long been a must for tourists at home and abroad. "The original intention of this work is to present Shinjuku in a way that can be understood by local and global audiences," he said. I hope we can experience the local culture through art. "

With social distance becoming the norm, matsushama also has new ideas about the life of citizens and the mission of artists. He believes that it is particularly important to slow down and reflect on the connection between people. "When people are forced to stay at home, everything can only be shared online," he says. Therefore, what artists have to do is to let people stimulate new ideas by watching art. " And "Shinjuku East Square" takes art as the breakthrough point and reshapes the contemporary experience of urban residents by driving the innovation of urban public landscape, so as to respond to the common pursuit of human beings for establishing connection. "I hope that the unveiling of this work will enable you to come to Tokyo and Shinjuku to visit and watch the work on the spot after the epidemic has eased," he said

21st century: you live abroad all the year round. What's your impression of Shinjuku?

Jiichi Matsuyama: just as no one has never seen times square on TV, it is almost impossible not to know Shinjuku. At the same time, Shinjuku is also a chaotic area, blending the elegant and popular culture of Tokyo, thus forming its own unique personality. When people think of Shinjuku, it is not always a positive impression, but people know that it is very special.

The 21st century: hanao-san is a boy sculpture with a bouquet to encourage people to communicate and connect in an era of separation. What is the inspiration for this image? Why mirror material?

Shoichi matsushama: Shinjuku Station is surrounded by countless buildings, neon lights, shop logos and thousands of people. I abstracted them into different shapes and shapes, and combined them into an image of a character in an artistic way. I hope that the surrounding environment and characters can be reflected in the works and become a practical part of the works. Just like capturing the neon light flickering on the TV screen at night, when you watch the sculpture, you can also see the mirror image of yourself and other tourists through its mirror material.

21st century: "Metro bewilder" is your new word and the creative idea of this work. It includes three meanings: metropolis, wild and bewilder. How do you understand the relationship between city and nature?

Matsuyama: this concept doesn't really exist, but that's what I want to express. Nature and city will not form a certain relationship in the end, because they exist independently. I hope to create a utopian concept through artistic language, in which confusing elements can surprise and comfort the audience.

21st century: the work encourages passengers to wander, talk and meditate at the busiest station in the world. New York and Tokyo are busy and efficient cities. What do you think about the "fast" and "slow" of this era?

Jiichi matsushama: with the development of digital technology, the continuous stimulation of diverse groups, aesthetic views and culture, information exchange takes place every moment. It's not just a global phenomenon, or Shinjuku. But obviously, the new epidemic has made us change and let us pay more attention to the situation at home and around us. At the same time, it also brings about a reflection on the concept of time, which I hope this work can express.

21st century: one of the original intentions of the project is to promote the innovation of urban landscape in Shinjuku district. What kind of support do you get from the local community for the realization of this project?

Jiichi matsushama: at first, they all thought that the works could not be integrated into the current position and environment, because there was no such precedent in Shinjuku, Tokyo and even Japan as a whole, but in fact it was the opposite. I'm glad to see that all the people who came to watch were so amazed at this that they started taking pictures. It seems that the low income of the gentry has been replaced by a lot of people in the old area, which has not brought about a lot of people's income.

The 21st century: public art plays an important role in urban layout, because it is the only art that can influence a large number of people anytime, anywhere. You have had a lot of experience in public art. In your opinion, what is the relationship between artists, the public and urban public art projects?

Jiichi matsushama: for me, I don't like the way that studio art is practiced in public art creation. If you just provide content suitable for display to people's living community, it is more like a designer's job than an artist's job (and either way is better). My idea is to bring out works with real local characteristics and local consciousness from the perspective of artists. It's not an easy thing, and it's very time-consuming. Like this work, it became part of the community, society and humanity, and I felt connected to the whole world.

21st century: what art proposition are you interested in recently? What new works will the future bring us?

And how to pursue our happiness: how to pursue our life.

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