Ghosts, demons and spirits often appear in Japanese foklore: they scare people with their invisibility or their pale faces, their missing limbs and hair falling loosely over their faces. Female ghosts are particularly terrifying: most of them come from Japanese classical theatre and in particular from the Noh, Kabuki and Bunraku traditions, but quite a few of them have been reinvented in contemporary films and books that have given new life to intruing traditional characters.
You could say that Japanese artist Suzume Uchida has revolutionised the traditional image of ghosts and spirits, by looking at her own reflection in a mirror and by trying to explore her soul. Some of her paintings and drawings are indeed self-portraits showing a pensive artist pondering in chiaroscuro light or the artist dealing with her own nightmares and personal problems.
The artist is known for her black and white drawings, but also for her portraits in colour: among her works there are sensual femmes fatales wearing a kimono and defiantly smoking; then there are fragile women suspended between mental madness and sanity, cradling themselves in a fetal position.
One drawing shows a girl in a forest her hand raised in front of her, as if she were calling after somebody, while the hand of an unseen male character reaches out to her from behind. The scene may be taking place in an actual wood or in an unknown location somewhere in the afterlife.
One of the most powerful portraits shows the artist as a woman eating her own entrails that are spilling out of her body: entitled "Anorexia and Destruction" the work must have cast a spell also on fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto. The latter featured indeed seven artworks by Suzume Uchida on the ample coats and loose tunics included in his S/S 18 menswear collection.
Uchida's works seem therefore to be now part of a modern Japanese folklore: they renew the traditions of mysterious and disturbing portraits of women, while also elevating a female artist to the role of collaborator for a menswear fashion collection.
Can you introduce yourself to our readers?
Suzume Uchida: My name - "Suzume" - means sparrow in Japanese. I was born in Tokyo and have lived there ever since. As a child I dreamt of becoming a painter since I was fond of drawing, but I met with failure during my High School days. Around that time, I attended a preparatory school for the Art University of Tokyo and I was caught by the sudden fear that my works may have been compared to those of other people. When I look back now, I realise it wasn't failure I was dealing with, but I was just afraid of being hurt by comparisons and critiques. I stopped painting for about 10 years. Then, one day when I was in my mid-twenties, I had the chance of seeing an artist of my same age who was making a tremendous effort creating new artworks. Inspired by this experience, I took up my brush again and began painting again. My career as a painter started in Tokyo and, since then, I never looked back.
Can you take us through the background inspirations for your art and paintings?
Suzume Uchida: My works are mainly based on my own experiences. For example, a ghost painting entitled "Anorexia and Destruction" was created from my experiences as I suffered from anorexia. Once you fall in the trap of anorexia, you can't eat for fear of putting on weight, even if you feel you're starving. The artwork is inspired by the thought of eating my intestines to nourish myself and lose weight at the same time. If I had refused to eat at that time, I would have died looking like an emaciated ghost.
Are there also any disciplines that inform your work or that inspire you?
Suzume Uchida: I often feel influenced by music - both melodies and lyrics are important for me.
Some of your paintings seem very mysterious and at times the female figure is represented like a ghost or a spirit: are you ever inspired by legends of supernatural entities or by the supernatural world when you paint?
Suzume Uchida: One work entitled "Grudge" fits in with your guess: the inspiration for it came indeed from a psychic photograph. At a first glance it seems to be an abstract painting, but if you look at it a bit better, you will spot a ghost-like image in it.
Your portraits and self-portraits also project a very powerful image of mysterious women: works such as "Pinky Swear" give me the impression the woman portrayed (you) is doing a very secret and mysterious deal with us; while "Anorexia and Destruction" is a scary yet very symbolic vision of self-destruction. Do you feel you are also empowering women through your works?
Suzume Uchida: I think so. Female emotions are profound and fearsome. The concept behind "Pinky swear" is a wicked promise - I shall die after killing you if you betray me. When they make a pledge in English, they say "Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye", while Japanese children lock each other's little fingers when they make a promise – in Japanese we call it "yubikiri-genman". Some of my clients thought the portrait represents a powerful promise - to be loved to the extent of going to hell together.
Which materials do you favour between pencil, Japanese ink, watercolors and oil colors and did you ever think of painting on fabric before this collaboration with Yohji Yamamoto for his S/S 18 menswear collection?
Suzume Uchida: Each material has its own special quality. I select materials according to the contents of my art and the motives to be expressed. Yes, before I collaborated with Yohji Yamamoto I experimented with painting on textiles.
How did this collaboration happen and was this the first time you worked with a fashion designer?
Suzume Uchida: Yes, this was the first time I was asked to work with a fashion designer. Everything started when I got an email out of the blue. It was completely unexpected.
How many of your artworks were employed in the collection?
Suzume Uchida: Seven works. "Evening Camellia" and "Sun's Children" were especially made for this collaboration with Yohji Yamamoto, the other five works were picked from my archive.
What fascinates you about Yohji Yamamoto?
Suzume Uchida: When I put on his designs I transform myself into somebody else, I feel immediately that there is an overwhelming force changing the atmosphere surrounding me.
How did you feel about your works, and in particular your self-portraits and images of powerful women, being used in a menswear collection?
Suzume Uchida: With this collaboration female emotions get enshrouded in male emotions: when I saw a model dressed up in Yamamoto's designs with my artworks walking on the stage I had a sort of hallucinated experience, as if the female spirit hiding in the painting I mentioned earlier on had subtly and suddenly taken over the male body.
Did you go to Paris to see the show? How did you feel when you saw the clothes with your works on the runway?
Suzume Uchida: I went to Paris to see the collection in person. I was very excited and I almost cried; I felt rewarded for putting all my energy into my art.
What kind of fashion designs do you like?
Suzume Uchida: Just like Yohji Yamamoto I am interested in clothes made with Japanese traditional fabrics and dyestuff. In a nutshell, I like when designers employ the traditional techniques of their own countries in their creations.
What plans do you have for the future?
Suzume Uchida: A solo exhibition in December at the Shukado Gallery (Sone bld.7F, 6-4-8 Ginza Chuo-ku, Tokyo) that will featured my new paintings and some of the clothes from Yohji Yamamoto's collection. You can keep updated about further exhibitions on my site, my Facebook page or by following my Twitter and Instagram accounts.
Image credits for this post
All images in this post courtesy/copyright of Suzume Uchida.
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