JOURNALジャーナル

What I have realized since I began making art is this:
Art does not always need to be “understood,” and we do not always need to be able to “understand” it.

I have also realized that I am not particularly fond of giving titles to my own works.
No matter how raw the emotions I pour into a piece may be,
each person who sees it feels something completely different.
And I love hearing those impressions more than I can say.

“This piece feels sad to me.”
“This one gives me strength when I look at it.”

If people can simply feel my work freely in that way, and receive it through their own sensitivity, that is enough.

“There may be differences in indigo dyeing, but there are no mistakes.”

These were words my teacher shared with me when I experienced indigo dyeing at a workshop in Aomori.
And I believe the same is true of art.

In art, there may be differences, but there are no mistakes.
So it is only natural that each person feels something different when they look at art.

Please approach it lightly and freely.
Touch it, look at it, and feel it.

And please cherish the sensations and emotions that arise within you,
without comparing them to anyone else’s.