Universal Heart oil on canvas, 230 x 140 cm, 2019
do these formative years, along with your studies in Japan and in Canada, influence your evolution as an artist? Ghaku Okazaki: Hello, thank you for your invitation. Yes, I firstly studied in Japan and graduated from Japanese Painting major there. Then I moved to Germany and studied there further. In spent a semester in Guelph, Canada, in the frame of a programme of DAAD-Scholarship (German Academic Exchange Service). My first studies in Tokyo still influence my works a lot. I studied there Japanese traditional paintings. To be honest, it frustrates me a lot, that the most of the people in the West only know minimalist kind of arts - such as ink drawings - from Japan, and consider them as “Japanese tradition”. Ghaku Okazaki scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Life before Birth oil on canvas, 230 x 140 cm, 2021 ©Konstanze Spät Rainbow Arms oil on canvas, 200 x 130 cm, 2020
But in fact, you can also find extremely colorful “Mandala”s, which are way much older than black-and-white “Zen art”, and Yamatoe or Bunjinga tradition that are characterised by there brilliant colours and dynamic compositions - you know, you can't generalize arts or cultures of a whole country that exists longer than 2500 years. I studied those colorful direction of Japanese traditional arts, and it casts shadow on my scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Special Edition Everything is Beautiful, mural painting with acrylic lacquer, 264 x 324, 264 x 205.5 cm, DAAD-Scholarship, Univ
own contemporary art practice. To talk about the study in Bremen, I’ve got to stress that I’ve learned a lot about how important it is to analyse my own artworks, intensify the ways of expression, and deepen the philosophy behind them. My whole study there was almost like a psycho-analysis since my natural way of creating artworks is very intuitive. You can see there how strong the Ghaku Okazaki scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land ersity of Guelph, Canada, 2018
A Couple of Plants, oil on canvas, 97 x 131,5 cm, 2018
tradition of German psychology is. It was also amazing to stay and study in Canada. I learned there how diverse a society can be, and how essential it is to create stuff from my own representation/roots and maintain the universal point of view at the same time. The body of works that we have selected for this special edition of LandEscape —and that our readers have already started to get to know in the introductory pages of this article — has at once captured our attention for the way you draw inspiration from Buddhist tradition and mythological fantasy, to unveil the connection between humans and their surroundings, inviting the viewers scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Special Edition Life Mandala acrylic lacquer on canvas, 230 x 140 cm, 2020 Flower in the Sky oil on canvas, 200 x 130 cm, 2020
Everything is Beautiful by Nature oil on canvas, 99,5 x 70 cm, 2018
Everything is Beautiful, mural painting with acrylic lacquer 264 x 324, 264 x 205.5 cm, DAAD-Scholarship, University of Guelph, Canada, 2018
to celebrate the diversity and to capture the sense of unity of human experience. When walking our readers through the genesis of your works, would you tell us something about your usual setup and process? Ghaku Okazaki: As you mentioned, I am pretty much influenced by Buddhist worldview and philosophy that teaches that every living being in connected to one another. But I’d like to stress that I do not scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Special Edition Mural and sculpture installation “Flowers in the Sky” mural painting with acrylic lacquer, oil on canvas, sculpture with concrete, wood and acrylic lacquer, size flexib
consider it as a religion or esoteric spirituality, but something more universal that is for your real life. Which means; my artworks tendentially look fantasy-like, but they are not merely fictional: they metaphorically create visions of the colorful and energetic connection between diverse living beings. I just expand this philosophy of the affirmation of the Ghaku Okazaki scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land le, “43. Bremer Förderpreis”, Municipal Gallery Bremen, Germany, 2020, ©Konstanze Spät
connection of the diversity that I learn from Buddhist, into the contemporary subject matters: the connection between humans and nature, affirmation of people from different identities, sexual orientation and so on. That's why the figures of my works often have rainbow coloured skins since art enables anything. So why do we still think different skin colours are "problematic"? I'd rather exaggerate with it and create the visions of humans with rainbow skin colours. The tones of your works feature such vivid colors and joyful nuances, able to create tension and dynamics: how does your own psychological make-up determine the nuances of tones that you decide to include in your works? In particular, what role does play intuition in the composition of your pallette? Ghaku Okazaki: Intuition is everything to the whole process of the artistic creation to me. I decide whole the colour combinations very intuitive. My own psychological make-up might scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Special Edition
influence on it as well, but my intention is to dig into myself deep, so that my works don’t remain on my personal level, but they achieve the universal level of consciousness. Your artistic production draws from the conflictual relationship that unfortunately marks out especially Western Countries, and we really appreciate the way your works don't fall into the trap of shallow victimization nor of stereotypized view. We definitely love the way your works develop such authentic syncretism, aimed at valueing differences. Artists from different art movement and eras — from pioneer Richard Morris, passing through Thomas Light and Andy Goldsworthy, to more recently Kelly Richardson— use to communicate more or less explicit messages in their artworks: do you think that artists can raise awareness to an evergrowing audience on topical issues that affect our ever changing society? In particular, as an how do you consider the scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Ghaku Okazaki Land
role of artists in our globalized and unstable society? Ghaku Okazaki: To be honest, I do not know anyone of the pioneers that you mentioned. However, I think it is very important for all artists and viewers to stay conscious and not to fall into the trap of colonialistic way of thinking. In global society, in my opinion, it is very important that each of us represent our culture and worldview, without stealing or denying others'. Art makes this affirmative representation visible. That's why I appreciate the colors. Through such sapiently evocative and symbolically charged images, your reflect the themes of diverse sexuality and gender identities, establishing deep involvement with the viewers both on the emotional and intellectual aspect. How would you consider the role of symbols — more especially references to fragments from human body — playing within your artistic process, in order to create such powerful allegories? Ghaku Okazaki: Every body part is intelligent to me. They all have their own functions and support one another. The genitals are not exceptions, but they extremely strongly represent the vital force to me. Reminding us of Edward Said views on the concept of Orientalism — that in that case was related to Mid East — your imagery features references to Buddhism, that plays a relevant role in the philosophy underlying your art making, especially for its universal gaze on the world. When discussing of the importance of Buddhism in your artistic scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Special Edition
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research, we would like to ask you if you aim to create a bridge between Tradition and Contemporariness. Ghaku Okazaki: I grew up with Buddhist mother and relatives, and my father is atheistic but supports Zen closter. That's why Buddhist philosophy and practice always used to be a part of my life since my childhood. And I simply like the way of thinking that everything is connected in a universal circle. It's nothing oriental or culturally limited thought, but an open and universal one. But in fact, I am skeptical about the religionalisation and institutionalisation of Buddhism. There is way too much corruption world wide. However, I am very much influenced by the philosophy of the original Mahayana/Vajrayana Buddhist Masters, especially by Kûkai, Dôgen or Linji, and some practitioners that I personally know. Your works — as the interesting MandalaBlumengarten — are marked out with large dimension that provide your spectatorship with such immersive visual experience: how do the dimensions of your artworks affect your workflow and how important is for you to "enfold" the viewers, providing them with such unique immersive experience? Ghaku Okazaki: It is very interesting to me if an artwork or multiple artworks enable us to enter inside of it/them. In the future, if I will receive more opportunity to create large-formated Ghaku Okazaki scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land nistry for Science, Research and the Arts Baden-Württemberg
Joy of Life, Beton und Lack 250 x 150 x 150 cm, public sculpture in Skulpturenpark Mörfelden-Walldorf, Germany, 2022 ©Haiko Emmel
installations, I would love to create more of "immersive" works - that's my dream. However, my paintings or mere sculptures should be immersive way as well. It is important to my practice that looking into my artworks offer the "experience", and not only "browsing". scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Special Edition Island Mandala, concrete and lacquer, 200 x 120 x 100 cm x 3, Spiekeroog / Kunststipendium Spiekerooger Zeltplatzresidenz (Art scholarship campground residence in Spiekeroog), Spiekeroog, Germany, 2020, ©Ruben Franz
You are a versatile artist and your production encompasses both painterly and sculptural works, and the images that you create conveys such stimulating visual ambivalence, that develop universal visual language, able to walk the viewers through the visualisation of a harmonious relationship between all living beings. Ghaku Okazaki scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land
Austrian Art historian Ernst Gombrich once remarked the importance of providing a space for the viewers to project onto, so that they can actively participate in the creation of the meaning: how important is for you to trigger the viewers' imagination in order to address them to elaborate personal interpretations? In particular, how open would you like your works to be understood? Ghaku Okazaki: Any interpretation is welcome! For example, I love Bob Marley. And I know that he is often misunderstood as a symbol of easy going weed smokers, and his philosophical background of Rastafarism is often ignored. Similarly, I'm ok if my works are beloved by young hippies that merely appreciate the colours of my works. It often happens in Germany. The door is open and if people would like to dig deeper into the philosophy, then they can. But if not, they can just enjoy - which is great too. Art is free. You are an awarded and established artist: over the years you have participated to many group exhibitions and you have had four solos in Germany: how do you consider the nature of your relationship with your audience? As the move of Art from traditional gallery spaces, to street and especially to online platforms — as Instagram https://www.instagram.com/millionflowersi nthesky — increases, how would in your opinion change the relationship with a globalised audience? scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Special Edition
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Vital Force Mandala, Öl auf Leinwand, 70 x 99,7 cm, 2019-1 scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land Special Edition
Ghaku Okazaki: Am I? I guess not at all. I love the supporters of my art, though. I had to move from Japan to Germany, Canada and other regions of the World for my artistic practice, creating public art pieces or exhibitions. But if the online platforms enable us more connection, it's a wonderful thing. I'd love to travel more and visit more places to create more stuff. So further connection is always welcome, and the more gloval it becomes, the more attractive it get to me. We have really appreciated the multifaceted nature of your artistic research and before leaving this stimulating conversation we would like to thank you for chatting with us and for sharing your thoughts, Ghaku. What projects are you currently working on, and what are some of the ideas that you hope to explore in the future? Ghaku Okazaki: Currently, I am preparing on a solo exhibition in Stuttgart, Southern Germany. I spend a lot of time in my Atelier and create large-formated paintings and sculptures. My hope to to future is to create more largescaled sculptural projects, that are more "immersive". I am slowly collecting finances for that, and making researches about what material can be stable and sustainable, etc. And of course, I parallelly keep on creating paintings/sculptures/installations that I am able to create with the conditions that I currently have. Thank you very much for the interview. Ghaku Okazaki scape CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW Land An interview by Josh Ryder, curator and Melissa C. Hilborn, curator [email protected]