Scrolling through Twitter, I came across this really interesting post by artist Yasuhiro Asai in which he recounted a time when he showed his work to a patron at a shop only to be put down in the worst ways possible as an artist… If anything, perhaps this anecdote can provide some encouragement to anyone who might be feeling a little down.
It all starts with this tweet, which was originally posted on his official blog in 2017. The actual post is relatively long, but you can find the English translation below.
“I don’t feel anything from your work.”
The other day, at a bar in Ginza, a female customer who happened to be there asked me to show her my work, so I ended up showing it to her on my cell phone. I don’t usually show it in cases like this, but The people who supported me ended up saying, “Please check it out!” out of kindness. Actually, I don’t even like telling people my occupation when I happen to meet them. Unlike when you meet someone with prior knowledge as a lacquer artist, in the case of a chance meeting, the probability that the other person is interested in maki-e or art is low. That’s why I don’t want to talk about lacquer too much if it’s a one-time encounter. As social etiquette, I don’t want to talk about what I value most to people who don’t care about me. This is the most important thing, because I want to avoid superficial interest and apathy as much as possible.If people were truly interested, they would probably visit the exhibition, and I’m sure the people who read this blog also have some kind of interest. Otherwise, they won’t take the precious time out of their lives to look at my work or read my articles. There may be some people reading this who don’t like me and think, “What’s the point?” In a sense, that can also be considered interest. (It’s also intense) Superficial refers to ad hoc interest and indifference. Why do you dislike it?
This is especially true at drinking parties, where strong words are thrown at you. As the title of the blog post suggests, people say, “I don’t feel anything from your work.” Wow. Actually, I’m used to hearing this kind of thing. I think you can’t avoid it if you’re a young artist, but if you’re in a creative profession, there’s a high chance you’ll be looked down upon. But how much can you know by looking at a small smartphone screen? It’s up to you to decide whether you like it or not, but to someone who works day and night to create works that move people’s hearts and you say, “I don’t feel anything,” you’re pretty much saying, “Your work has no meaning.” If you actually get to know me well and see my work in person and have something to say to me, I’d be happy to give you a hundred steps, but when you look at a few pictures of my smartphone and say that, I have to get over my frustration and just laugh.
Actually, this kind of thing happens a lot. There is an image that artists = poor. Perhaps because of the strong influence of destructive predecessors such as Van Gogh and the Buraiha writers, they are preached from above. Superficial indifference: “Huh?” “Hmm, that’s right,” is a superficial expression of interest, “That’s right, that’s what Van Gogh was like.” “Don’t even think about being happy!”
If you stay in the art industry for a long time, people like this will disappear from your surroundings, but we do meet up occasionally. “Wow…” I whisper to myself and I try to feed my soul as much as possible. Don’t let it upset you, because people like this are easily turned away. The more you advance in your career, the more silent you become.
Perhaps most young artists grow up encouraged by a few favors and hurt by many times more indifference and heartless words. I want to give back to the people who support me and turn over the palms of those who were looking down on me. I feel like the only thing I can do as an artist is to go back to work tomorrow, even though I have so many things in my heart.
※ This article is a rewrite of the 2017 blog. Please also check out the other blogs on the official website.
Yasuhiro Asai’s Twitter
▶︎ What is Japanese lacquerware?
Lacquerware (漆器, shikki) is a Japanese craft with a wide range of fine and decorative arts, as lacquer has been used in urushi-e, prints, and on a wide variety of objects from Buddha statues to bento boxes for food.
The characteristic of Japanese lacquerware is the diversity of lacquerware using a decoration technique called maki-e (蒔絵) in which metal powder is sprinkled to attach to lacquer. The invention of various maki-e techniques in Japanese history expanded artistic expression, and various tools and works of art such as inro are highly decorative.
A number of terms are used in Japanese to refer to lacquerware. Shikki (漆器) means “lacquer ware” in the most literal sense, while nurimono (塗物) means “coated things”, and urushi-nuri (漆塗) means “lacquer coating.”
The terms related to lacquer or lacquerware such as “Japanning“, “Urushiol” and “maque” which means lacquer in Mexican Spanish, are derived from Japanese lacquerware.
Japanese lacquerware, Wikipedia
Asai has also participated in many events such as the 70th Japanese Traditional Crafts Exhibition in Kyoto this past October.
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