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www.artistcloseup.com/blog/interview-ono-yotonn

Interview

Aug 3

Ono Yotonn

Ono Yotonn currently resides in Japan, where she was born. Her work consists of creating and presenting sculptures mainly of pigs. In Japanese, ‘Yotonn’ means ‘pig farmer’.

Since her parents were in the pig farming business, pigs have been around her as far back as she can remember. When she was growing up, she knew that pigs were for eating, and she took it for granted that they were bred, raised, and transported away. She has strong memories of the pig farming business, having seen her parents struggle to produce live creatures.

Ono Yotonn’s sense, which could be described as producer-like, eventually became the basis for her creative activities.

What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?

“I’ve loved drawing since I was a child, but it was basketball that I was passionate about all through my childhood. When I retired from a basketball club in high school, I couldn’t decide on what I wanted to do. I heard that a friend of mine from my high school days was planning to enter an arts school and I was interested, so I took the entry exam. It’s not easy to enter art school in Japan. I practiced drawing every day, and after 2 years, I was finally able to go to an art school.

After entering art school, I was worried about my creative theme. I remembered the unique pig farming environment where I was born and raised, and decided to use the ‘pig’ that I know best as a motif. For 24 years since then, I have been focusing on pigs, producing and presenting original works with a message.”

Images courtesy of Koichi Hayakawa

What inspires you most?

“Nature and chance stimulate me. For example, if you draw a picture of an apple on a canvas while looking at it, you can express it in your own way. However, you can’t control the weather or the power of nature. Works using chance are close to natural phenomena. For this reason, from time to time, I try to incorporate expressions into my work that don’t quite work the way I want them to, giving my work fresh inspiration. Sometimes I get stuck in a rut with the same expressions, and get stifled by it. When this happens, the color of the work will be muddy, the shape will not be defined, and I don’t achieve a very good degree of perfection. By taking advantage of coincidence, a stifled expression can take on a form that was never imagined.

I also draw, and pencil allows me to create as I wish. With this, I dare to create a collage work with paper. Depending on the nature of the paper, the collage may not take the desired shape, but unexpected colors can be expressed by layering them together. In this way, I am seeking to create new, exciting expressions.”

Images courtesy of Takumi Ota.

What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?

“When it comes to pig artwork, there are many pieces that express the ‘kawaii’ (lovely, cute) aspect, but many of my pieces are very realistic. I think it’s because I’ve been able to see the texture and expression of real pigs up close. The theme of my works express, among other things, the real pigs consumed as meat from various perspectives. Today, even as the number of vegans and vegetarians is increasing worldwide, including in Japan, there are many consumers who eat pork.

In Japan, pigs were raised at home and each household prepared them as meat until the pig farming industry was revitalized in the postwar period. Compared to that era, today’s pig production has become systematized, and the process of turning pigs into meat is not visible to the average consumer. Some of today’s generation have never seen a real pig.

I hope that my work will help people feel, if only a little while, that we human beings live with the gift of life. I explore the flaws or virtues of life by projecting the human figure and character onto pigs and depicting them in my artwork. Through my art, I explore the roots of living and eating, and express the concept of ‘receiving life’ with gratitude.

I’ve been working on the theme of life, and for years I’ve been developing the concept of having my mother, who has always been the life-giving presence, as my main subject. My current artwork has finally made it happen. The passing of my mother, who has been a major influence in my life, in 2017, and the departure of my long-awaited child to heaven without a birth in 2019 has also caused me to think about life more strongly than ever. I would like to continue to create artwork on the theme of life and small lives.”

How would you describe your work?

“I continue to create three-dimensional forms in contemporary art. I aim to sculpt warm shapes using unsaturated polyester resin, silicone rubber, and other special materials as the main modeling materials. By giving a glossy texture to the pig-related pieces, I hope to express the reality of life and convey the message of the work. This is why I continue to explore materials.

In three-dimensional modeling, the selection of the material itself is considered important because the texture and constitution of the material itself determine the appearance of the work. I’ll continue to use a variety of materials to express my message to viewers.”

Images courtesy of Seri.

Which artists influence you most?

“Ron Mueck is a super realist anthropomorphic artist. He has used unsaturated polyester resin and silicone rubber materials to represent the human body as if it were alive. Mueck’s works are so elaborately crafted that they could be mistaken for real people, giving them a presence and power as if they were moving. In the process of creating his works, he contemplates materials, motifs, and forms, and throws himself into all the elements that make up the work. He engages in a dialogue that transforms each piece into a work of art. He creates the essence of art by interacting with the work, giving it power and appeal.”

 What is your creative process like?

“First, I draw on paper the shape I want to turn into a three-dimensional shape. Then I make the prototype in oil or water clay. Once the clay prototype is completed, the mold is made using silicone rubber or plaster. I use a clay spatula on the finished mold to scrape out the clay. Four to five layers of resin are laminated into the hollowed-out mold to add thickness. When the resin has hardened, I remove it from the mold. It is finished after it has been polished and colored.”

What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?

“The creative process is a connection to society, and a necessary role for artists. If we can meet viewers who resonate with our work, it may create sufficient social influence. It does not take tens of thousands of people, even one or two are enough. In order to send a message to society, I’ve sometimes created pigs that are not so cute. The goal is not to make a cute pig, but to ask questions about society through the medium of art.

I make pigs not because I like them, but because there is a meaning to creating pig works. I have something to convey to the world in my own way, even if it’s only in a small way. Pigs become products through a variety of processes that are supremely efficient to produce, and that consumers may never know about (see below). In my artwork, I express my memories of the pigs I have seen since childhood and the environment of pig farming. The image I paint is not a generic concept, contemptuous or adorable, but the real world of pig farms.

Mueck’s transcendent works in pursuit of reality move the hearts of viewers and convey a message to society and the world. Realistic expression in the modern age has the power to give people a chance not to run away from reality, but to reconsider it. Although the world is facing endless difficulties, I’m convinced that art’s power is its ability to convey to society whatever messages people want.”

Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you’d like to share?

“In 2015, I permanently installed my flying sleeping sow and piglet artwork in the International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine in Japan, which studies the international neuroscience of sleep and wakefulness. The theme of sleep was chosen with the aim of creating a space that would stimulate the intellectual curiosity of researchers. Piglets feel happy when they sleep with their sows because they can have all the skin-to-skin time to themselves. I believe that humans can also relate to the happy time when they can touch each other’s skin and feel warmth. And for an animal that does not fly, flying is like dreaming. Researchers have commented that viewing artwork brings inspiration and calm to the uncertain world of scientific research.

My current exhibition is the Echigo Tsumari Art Field 2022 – Satoyama Art Zoo Exhibition is running running from July 30 – September 4, 2022. You can read about it here.”

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Website: www.onoyotonn.com

Instagram: @onoyotonn

すやすや眠りながら飛んでいるぶたさん達を新潟の大自然の中に展示させて頂いております(^@@^)お近くにお越しの際は、コロナ感染拡大の状況にお気をつけて、ご鑑賞頂けますと幸いです。

越後妻有 大地の芸術祭 2022
「里山アートどうぶつ園 -動物たちのソーシャル・ディスタンス-」
会期　7 月 30 日~9 月 4 日　火水以外　10:00~17:00
会場　ナカゴグリーンパーク内 芝生広場
〒948-0122　新潟県十日町市上野甲2924-28
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作品鑑賞パスポートをご購入ください。
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「越後妻有 大地の芸術祭 2022」
2022年4月29日(金・祝)~ 11月13日
火・水曜は休み(一部作品施設は通常営業)

開催地　越後妻有地域 (新潟県十日町市、津南町) 760 km2
主催　大地の芸術祭実行委員会
共催　 NPO 法人 越後妻有里山協働機構

新潟県十日町と津南町の里山を舞台に、2000 年から 3 年ごとに開催を重ね、アート を媒介に地域活性化を目的とした先駆的な国際芸術祭が今年で 8 回目を迎えられました。

「大地の芸術祭」の数ある作品の中でも家族や子供たちに人気の企画、動物 の作品をテーマとされる「里山アートどうぶつ園」展が芝生の公園グリーン パークにて開催されます。

今年のテーマは「動物たちのソーシャル・ディスタンス」。

人と自然と動物が築いてきたちょうどいい関係=里山。動物たちは、野生の本能によ って、自然と個体、仲間、個体と個体、縄張り、オスとメスとの「ソーシャル・ディスタンス」を知り尽くしています。

コロナ禍で、日頃目にしているこの言葉の本当の意味を動物や生き物の姿を通して、 家族や子供たちに語りかけていきます。
(2022年吉日 大地の芸術祭・総合ディレクター 北川フラム様のメッセージより抜粋)

◆ 「大地の芸術祭」のくわしい内容は下記のホームページをご参照ください。

https://www.echigo-tsumari.jp/news/20220106_01/

「里山アートどうぶつ園」
https://www.echigo-tsumari.jp/art/artwork/satoyama_art_zoo2022/

「平和を願う」
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ウクライナ人道支援企画のため、「平和を願う」をテーマにGALLERY APA様のキーホルダー販売に参加させて頂いております。売上金は、日本赤十字社「ウクライナ人道危機救援金」へ寄付されます。
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どうか平和が訪れますように

ウクライナ人道支援企画のため、「平和を願う」をテーマにGALLERY APA様のキーホルダー販売に参加させて頂いております。パグちゃんキーホルダーを制作して、即完売したようです。10万円目指して他の作家さんもたくさんキーホルダーを制作され、販売されています。売上金は、日本赤十字社「ウクライナ人道危機救援金」へ寄付されます。

紛争が激化する痛々しいニュースが流れてきます。私に何ができるのか思うだけで日々の生活が淡々と過ぎていきます。遠い地での凄惨な出来事に何もできない中、手を動かして祈るしかありません。

どうか戦いはやめてほしいです。
普通に過ごせる当たり前の日常、幸せの時間を一般市民の方へ戻してください。
願うしかできません。

「～特別企画展～　あやしい世界！？」、名古屋のギャラリーアパ様にて作品を出品させて頂きます。お近くにお越しになられることがございましたら足をお運びください。どうぞよろしくお願い致します。

2022年4月2日～5月8日
〒467-0003
名古屋市瑞穂区汐路町1-14 2階　
GALLERY APA
火～日曜日（月曜休み・祝日の場合は順延）
11：00～18：00

http://www.gallery-apa.com/

あやしい世界！？展 お問い合わせ先
GALLERY APA
TEL ： 052-842-2500　　
E-mail ： gallery-apa@nifty.com

新年あけましておめでとうございます
旧年中は大変お世話になりました
本年もどうかよろしくお願い申し上げます (^@@^)

今年もはやいもので12月に入り、あとわずかとなりました(‘@@’)
手袋が手放せない朝夕の冬の寒さを身に染みて、今年を振り返りつつ、新たな年の目標をぼやぼや〜と考えております。
でも、制作は忘れずにしなきゃっと今はコラージュしています(^@@^)
紙を貼り合わせた時、下の色と上の色が重ね合わさり、絵の具では出せない色合いができます。鉛筆や絵の具で描くと自分の思う通りにいくのですが、完成品は自分の手癖が出ていて見るのも嫌になります。コラージュという敢えて自分の思い通りにいかない手法を使うことで、自分の思いも寄らない表現に出逢えることができます。今日も表現することの楽しさを忘れずに寒々と凍えつつ紙を貼り合わせます。

朝5時には霜が煌びやかに降り、太陽が上がってくると光をキラキラと反射させ、眩いばかりの自然の風景を作り出しています。寒い中でも強く凛とした木々や草花達の姿に刺激を受け、今日も一日がんばろうと力をもらいます (^@@^)

朝夕はすっかり冷え込み、上着の着用が欠かせなくなりました (+@@+)
朝早くウォーキングをするのですが、私の場合、トレーナーを着てその上にパーカーを着て、ニット帽士に耳ホッカ、手袋、冷え込む時はホッカイロを２つ握るとかなりモコモコ満載です。。。太陽が出ていない暗い中をトボトボと歩いていると山の向こうからじわりとゆっくりと光が差して体が徐々にぽかぽかしてきます。
朝の体を刺すような冷え込みは冬の到来のサインです。寒い地方で生まれ育った私にとって、故郷を思い出す気温で母に包まれているような気持ちになり、清々しくもあり、切なくも感じます。
このような私の朝活は、その日のスイッチを入れることが出来、心を整えるためのルーティーンにしております。このことによって創造活動につなげることが出来ると思います(^@@^)/