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Artist 立華圭 Kei Tachibana

立華圭
WORKS INTERVIEW EXHIBITIONS

INTERVIEWInterview

Lihua Gui

Creating a work from scratch

――You started painting on your own in 2012, what was the trigger?

 
"I had been seeing various images and prophetic dreams in my dreams for a long time, and the scene was so strange that I wanted to draw it and visualize it. When I was a child, I loved to draw, and there was a time when I continued to draw pictures of the sun rising from the sea, which was impressive when I was 4 years old. However, I had never studied art at a university or vocational school, and at first I was in a state of fumbling. But for some reason, I began to strongly think, 'I want to draw, I have to draw,' and I immersed myself in it, thinking that it was strange not only for my family but also for myself."

――How did you learn to draw? 
"When I saw a scene of painting in a drama or movie, I would pay attention to what kind of art materials were used, and when I found out that there was such a thing as acrylic paint, I would buy it and try it out. No matter how many times I drew it, I couldn't get close to the image in my head, and I couldn't be convinced when I tried it, so I was repeating trial and error. Because of this background, I still paint my works using a variety of art materials such as solid watercolor, acrylic paint, and oil pastel, rather than focusing on one art material. I also use coffee grounds, toothbrushes, and other things other than general art supplies."

A place of activity that is not limited to Japan

――So you held your first solo exhibition in 2014.

 
"That's right, strangely, since I started painting, I have been connected to various people. One day, I was allowed to draw illustrations for fairy tales, and this was my first solo exhibition to commemorate the publication. After that, I had more opportunities to be approached, and I had live paintings in a large venue with about 20,000 visitors, and I was allowed to have a corner to talk about painting on a radio program."

――Are you still doing such activities today? 
"Right now, I'm mainly working on creating works. In fact, about a year ago, I developed a certain disease. It is not directly life-threatening, but it is a lifelong relationship, and there are still few cases in Japan. But I get a lot of inspiration from it for my recent work. He also actively holds solo and group exhibitions. In addition to participating in group exhibitions not only in Japan but also in Thailand and Hong Kong, it has also been featured in the Virtual Illustrator's Wall of the Bologna International Picture Book Original Art Exhibition in Italy. Last year, I signed a contract with a gallery in Paris, and the exhibition there is about to start. However, I think there are other ways to express one's own image, as well as drawing. We will continue to work without sticking to one method of expression."

A work that can be a point of light

――Is there a common concept in all your works?

 
"My paintings may seem inconsistent to the viewer because the materials and tastes used in each work are different, but what all my works have in common is that they depict the joy of living. In the past few years, my family has developed dementia and my parents' inn that has lasted for about 150 years, and there have been various events other than myself. Through them, I realized that everything has an end and that there is something that can change. There is sadness in it, but I have come to think that it is not sad if you look at it from a larger perspective."

――What kind of image do you have of a big perspective? 
"For example, when a person leaves this world, or even after he leaves, I think what he thinks of when he looks back on his life is the beautiful scenery and scene, and the heart that resonates with it. I think that's what I remember on Earth later, and I want it to be."

――Finally, please tell us about your future goals. 
"I want people around the world to continue painting at their own pace for a long time and at their own pace. I mentioned earlier that life is often difficult, but I hope that people who look at my paintings in such a situation will be able to sensely remember that 'the earth is a wonderful place' or 'there are wonderful things in life', even for a moment. I want to be like a piece of straw in a life that is like a rough sea. By grabbing the straw, you can float up on your own, even for a moment. I want to continue to create works with such buoyancy."

EXHIBITIONS Exhibition Information

2025.07.01 ～ 2025.07.15

Kei Tachika Web Solo Exhibition [Chikyu no Kioku ]
"Life on Earth is lovely. The individual instinct to fulfill life to the end is lovely. If we were to name the principle of the universe that governs everything, we might call it love. I want to remember the memories of dream-like fragments of color that appear and disappear like flashes, going back and forth from the bottom of the sea to the abyss in the sky, starting from everyday life, like an illusion. "Chikyu no Kioku" is an exhibition like an album of memories sent to those who live now and to those who once lived on Earth.
●Lihua GuiAround 2012, he began painting on his own, driven by the desire to actually visualize the visions and sensations that suddenly appeared in his brain. Since then, I have been self-taught and have been expressing myself in various places and styles that are not bound by frames or methods, such as live painting and art-related FM radio narration. And now, I am quietly drawing while facing myself. It's lovely to be alive. I hope to draw a picture that makes the viewer feel that way, even for a moment. [Publication] 2023 2024 2025 ・Bologna, Italy International Picture Book Original Exhibition Virtual Illustrator's Wall (Bologna, Italy) 【Publications】 November 2014 ・Picture book production; Self-published (sold out) 【Solo Exhibition】 November 2014 ・1st Picture Book Publication Commemorative Original Art Exhibition (Kurume City, Fukuoka Prefecture) March 2015 ・Same as above 2nd time January 2018 ・Kei Tachika Exhibition (Komaki City, Aichi Prefecture) July 2021 ・Kei Tachika Solo Exhibition "Under the Sea" (Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture) July 2025 ・Chikyu no Kioku -Fragments of Colored life- Exhibition (Japan Bridge Art) [Group Exhibition *Domestic]　　 In 2017 ・Takatsuki Art Fair Joint Exhibition "Sky Exhibition" (Takatsuki City, Osaka Prefecture) January 2019 ・Sakana Hennohitachi Exhibition East Exhibition (Nagareyama City, Chiba Prefecture) February 2019 ・Sakana Hennohitachi Exhibition West Exhibition (Enokojima Culture and Arts Creation Center, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture) *Every year thereafter December 2019 ・Neko Earl Exhibition (Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Art Space Yuzu YOU) *Every year thereafter September 2020 ・Everyone's Amabie Exhibition (Osaka Prefectural Nakanoshima Library) March 2023 ・Shigataga Elephant Art Exhibition (Shiga Prefecture Taga Town Museum) June 2025 ・The City of Time (Tokino City) Two-person Exhibition (Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture) 【Group Exhibitions*Overseas】 June 2022 •【Cross Over vol.38】 (Bangkok, Thailand, Kalwit Studio & Gallery) May 2023 •【Cross Over vol.43】 (JCCAC Lo gallery, Hong Kong) July 2023 •【Cross Over vol.43 returns】 (Habour north phase 1, Hong Kong) [Live painting] April 2017 ・Creative Fields H Fashion Show (Takatsuki City, Osaka Prefecture) November 2017 ・Kofun Festival is the first time that Koto Live Painting appeared (Osaka Prefecture Takatsuki City, Imashiro the Great Forest) November 2018 ・Same as the second time November 2019 ・Same as above 3rd time October 2019 ・Florante Miyazaki [Halloween Plus] Guest Live Painter (Miyazaki City, Miyazaki Prefecture) 【Other Activities】 November 2016 ・Takatsuki Art Fair (Takatsuki City, Osaka Prefecture) Children's Art Jury & MC 1st November 2017 ・Same as the second time May 2017 ・SORA FES Stall & Coloring Workshop (Kurume City, Fukuoka Prefecture Iwataya Department Store SORA-IRO Plaza) November 2017 - May 2018 ・FM Kyoto (α Station) program semi-regular art corner