FUKA OGIHARA

His work is based on the theme of "boundaries" and aims to explore and fuse the boundaries of the oriental aesthetic. Based on the complex and intertwined forms of the Orient, which have their roots in China, I attempt to fuse various boundaries in my paintings.
First of all, "Nihonga", which I spe...

His work is based on the theme of "boundaries" and aims to explore and fuse the boundaries of the oriental aesthetic. Based on the complex and intertwined forms of the Orient, which have their roots in China, I attempt to fuse various boundaries in my paintings.
First of all, "Nihonga", which I specialize in, is often discussed in a context different from that of "Japanese painting" before the Edo period. However, I dare to take the position that I am painting "Nihonga" including "Japanese paintings" that existed before the Edo period. This is because I believe that this ambiguous designation can sometimes serve as a clue to cut through the boundaries between various things.
I think that the same aesthetic sense exists at the root of all the paintings that were painted in Japan, paintings that are being painted, and "Nihonga" in a narrower sense. They have developed to the present day with fragmentation and continuity. I looked to the classics for an answer to connect these fragments. This is because I thought that there was a form of Japan that did not depend on the Western context, a form of Japan before it was divided into inside and outside, the root of the oriental aesthetic sense, and the unique Japanese aesthetic sense that developed from that. For this reason, not a few of my paintings use reproductions of "classical techniques" that refer to past literature.
Currently, I am making monochrome paintings using sumi ink, while dealing with contemporary themes with a focus on the classics. This is because I believe that ink, as an art material, is created with a technique unique to Asia, originating in China, and while it is close to people for practical use, there are also many things that have cultural value, and it exists in an intermediate position that does not divide users. In addition to the artist's intentional expression on the screen, there is also the aspect that the beauty of the accidental natural phenomenon of water and ink occurs, and the beauty of both is left to the abstract judgment of the viewer. The cultural background easily influences the value judgment, and the wide range of appreciation is what I find attractive about ink as a painting material, and what I intend to incorporate it into my work.
We are standing on the culture created by the classical paintings. I believe that my mission as a student of Japanese painting and history is to reaffirm that culture, clarify my own contemporary standards of value, and create works that are re-interpreted in the context of contemporary culture and life.
I would like to connect the "past" and the "present", fuse the "inside" and the "outside", and create a new view of painting that transcends various boundaries.