InterviewFeatured Artist

"When I was in the lower grades of elementary school, when I had a drawing assignment in art class, my classmates were worried about how to write, so I was able to draw the path my mother had taught me using perspective. When I exhibited at the Nippon Exhibition in that way, I became the youngest person to win the award, and the people around me were surprised." Toru Yoshioka (hereinafter referred to as Mr. Yoshioka) has had a talent for drawing since he was a student. He says that when he drew without hesitation, he often received compliments from those around him, such as teachers and friends. After graduating from Tokyo University of the Arts, he moved to New York. He was inspired by pop art pioneer Andy Warhol and others, and returned to Japan and got a job at a design office at a major department store. From there, he became independent in his early 30s and was in charge of advertising for major media outlets. After many years of teaching design at universities and graduate schools, he began his own creative activities at the age of 70. He looked back on his days working as a corporate designer and talked about the reasons and thoughts that led to his current creative activities. "The direction of my creative activities is completely different from when I was a designer now. If you have a sponsor, there will be restrictions such as layout and standards. Of course, designing as a business generates money, so it is natural to create according to the sponsor's wishes, but for me, it was nerve-boggling. The desire to create expressions without restraints grew, and he became independent. After retiring from my teaching position in design and color studies at university and graduate school, I started creating abstract paintings as my heart flowed. I think my current creative activities can be called pure art."

"Actually, my current creation is for mental health. It's a stress reliever. For my physical and mental health, I paint without getting caught up in anything. I am currently 82 years old, but as I got older, I became attracted to gods and Buddhas. On my days off, I occasionally visit shrines and temples, but I also get inspiration that leads to my creations. I once exhibited my geometric works in a solo exhibition in France, where I was evaluated as similar to "Cubism". I was influenced by the works of Picasso, Braque, and in Japan, the works of Seiji Togo and Taro Okamoto, so it may be a similar expression." Yoshioka's abstract paintings, which are said to be connected to mental health, make a world that shines like a kaleidoscope rise through the continuous contrast between color and form. In addition, the supernatural rhythm is set with motifs of Buddha and seals, and you can feel the religiosity. The nature of the work to change greatly depending on the viewer's mental state, the angle of view, and where the viewer focuses on it is very intelligent at the same time.

"The 'No Leakage' I painted last year is the most personal work, because I was able to express what I wanted to appeal to in terms of color and shape. Non-leakage is a Buddhist term that refers to the absence of impurities and afflictions. I think the state of mind that tries to continue to grow while being misled by afflictions is like life itself." Yoshioka's works, which extract the principles and essence of life, leave a strong impression on viewers. Everyone will be captivated by the high level of spirituality that is ordered in an exquisite balance between intelligence and sensibility and fits into a flat surface. The work that has the power to overwhelm the viewer and the mastery of drawing them into the work and evoking various emotions is probably something that only Yoshioka, who has a deep knowledge of design studies, can achieve. Finally, he told us about his thoughts on future work. "As I get older, my physical strength declines, so I think that drawing large paintings will gradually become a burden on my body, but I would like to continue my abstract expression in the future. I think you can enjoy the changes in geometric forms if you look at them from various perspectives. I would be happy if you could remember the feeling of wanting to be grateful to the gods and Buddhas from one perspective."