Interview with Misa Aihara — Contemporary Art Curator Magazine

She was born in 1942 and lives in Japan. She started her artistic carreer in early 1970s, after graduating from Joshibi Univ. of Art & Design, Tokyo. She has had numerous solo exhibitions and joined group exhibitions in her home country, Italy, Germany, Portugal, Austria, the UK and the USA. She has also participated in art events such as The Florence Art Biennale, the London Art Biennale, The Art Expo New York, chianciano Art Awards, etc.

In your artistic practice, you engage deeply with the reality of a painting, using elements like color, texture, and composition to probe perceptual experiences. Could you share your insights on how this exploration challenges traditional philosophical notions of reality and perception? Additionally, how does your art reflect or distort the viewer’s sense of the real?

How much could I share my exploration? If the viewer sees my work not as a group of pictorial abstract elements on the picture, but as some existing vision on the canvas, we could share what I challenge.

Your creative process incorporates elements of chaos and order, embracing both structured planning and spontaneous creation. Philosophically, how do you navigate the tension between these opposing forces? What does this interplay reveal about your broader understanding of the creative process, and how do you think it impacts the final artwork?

Without chaos, one can not challenge creation. Chaos is the origin of creation. Order is not a final goal; it is a mere supporting partner. As intense as the tension between them is, I will get a better result.

Your approach to completing artworks varies significantly in time—from days to years. How does this variation in time spent on each piece affect the depth and layers of meaning in your art? Do you view time as an essential medium in your work, akin to physical materials like paint and canvas?

Patience, a key element in my artistic practice, is often tested. I find myself spending the majority of my day in front of my work, engaging in various avtivities such as reading a newspaper, having lunch, or enjoying a cup of coffee. This time allows me to deeply contemplate each pictorial element on the canvas, podering its meaning and considering my next move.

Sometimes I need help finding a clue for the next step. Then, I stopped working anf left the picture behind for days to years. When I return to it for a review, I can see what I have been seeking. This action of reviewing my work after a break gives me a deeper approach to the core of the work, helping me to see it with fresh eyes and gain insights.

During your creative process, you occasionally confront moments where something feels 'wrong,' whether it's a color choice or a compositional element. How do you philosophically resolve these moments of doubt? In an arena as subjective as art, is there truly a 'wrong,' or are these moments more about personal artistic boundaries and expectations?

Before starting a painting, I always spend a week to months developing an idea. I consider the colour choice and conpositinal elements. As a sketch of a plan contains various prese tational potentialities, I need to set a goal and a process. I work according to the plan but occatinally conftont a moment when I find something wrong. I try to think through th problem. It's a moment that revolves around personal artistic boundaries and expectations. This is a pivotal moment for me. where every thoughtful choice I make empowers me and guides me towards my artistic goal.

You often find that unexpected clues help complete your artworks, suggesting a significant role for the unconscious mind in your creative process. How much do you think your artistic decisions are influenced by unconscious processes? Do you believe an artist can fully understand the origins of their creative impulses, or is there always an element of mystery?

My artistic practice is a journey that reaches the point where I can go far beyond my initial decision. The skech shows essential work, while I need to decide on the process to complete the job. In the process, I make some plans, analyse them, try one of them, and analyze the result. I reapeat the actions till I have come to the goal which I have never imagined.

Your work aims to convey emotional and spiritual impacts, suggesting a view of art as a medium for spiritual expression. How do you see the act of creating art as a spiritual practice, and how does this align with or differ from other spiritual practices you are familiar with?

Visual experience is one of human's mental and spiritual practice.

You hope that viewers engage with your art on an emotional level, focusing on the feelings elicited rather than searching for representational elements. What role do you think the viewer plays in the life of an artwork? Is their interpretation just as vital as your intent, or is it a secondary aspect of the art's existence?

Someone told me that she appreciates artwork, if it excites her emotionally. It is her unique and personal aspect of art appreciation.

Did the artwork excite you? What part of the artwork excited you? Did you want to engage with the life of the work? The questions will guide you to a visual experience you have never had.

You consider a work finished when it aligns with what you imagined. From a philosophical standpoint, do you believe an artwork can ever be truly completed, or is it merely abandoned at a stage that satisfies the artist's current vision and needs?

An artist grows with her work. In other words, she has never completed her artwork. However, she has achieved many milestones, so people understand what she has done.

Throughout your career, you have witnessed and adapted to various changes—personal, cultural, and technological. How have these changes influenced the evolution of your artistic identity? Do you view your artistic self as a constant, or do you believe it is something that continuously evolves and adapts over time?

I see my artistic self as constant. I was sometimes unhappy to see people not interested in my work. They probably get embarrassed by my unusual style of work. However, I have no choice but follow my exploration.

https://misaaihara.com/