A CONVERSATION WITH PAINTER VICTOR TAKERU
TOKYO-BASED artist VICTOR TAKERU
Breaks down his influences, ARTISTIC intentions and personality.
By Clarisse Prévost
Hey Victor, how you feeling lately ?
I'm feeling relatively good, a lot of projects in progress, both in Europe and in Japan, where I live now. I am trying to have the best routine to be able to create in good conditions, I feel like I am on the right track. I had a lot of doubts last year but finally starting to use oil painting early 2023 has done me a lot of good. It's like trying a whole new thing that offers a multitude of possibilities compared to acrylics, so it's very exciting.
And it's always a pleasure to be able to answer some questions about me and my work, so thank you for your interest.
You draw, paint. What, as a child or teenager, first connected you to art ?
I was very young, around 5/6 years old, that I knew that I wanted my future job to be linked to the world of creation, of drawing. As a child, my dream was to become a cartoonist, I spent my time reading them, from the Formidable adventures of Lapinot by Lewis Trondheim to Mutafukaz by Run or even Corto Maltese by Hugo Pratt.
I drew a lot, but I soon realized that I had the bad habit of never finishing the stories I started...
When did you start creating and what were your first personal projects ?
I often say that I have been drawing since the moment I could hold a pencil. The few memories I have of kindergarten are me spending most of my time drawing, doodling, non-stop. While the other kids were playing sports, I was drawing. I was enrolled in sports clubs as any parent would do to their child, but seeing that the only thing I was interested in was drawing, my parents enrolled me quite young, around 7/8 years old, in comics classes. Then I took pottery classes, observation drawing classes and attended Auguste Renoir high school of applied Arts.
The first projects I remember are, as I said before, a lot of unfinished comics. Some drawings here and there. It's in high school that I began to make more and more portraits, and appears for the first time at this time this cat which does not leave me since.
In the Manifesto of your first exhibition Come Have A Look If You Want – that was postponed because of covid – you talk about lacking confidence, looking for validation and finally do what you should do : what brings you joy. This was three years ago. How did your opinions, mindset, thoughts about these subjects evolve since ?
My way of thinking about these things has obviously evolved in the space of two years. I'm trying to let go, both in my creative process and in my human relationships. The loss of confidence in one's work is, I think, a fairly common feeling among people who create things with their own hands. The constant comparison with others is something very toxic that I try to detach myself from as much as possible.
It is important to keep an eye on what others are doing, going to exhibitions, etc. while being aware that everyone is different, different not meaning better or worse. Then I also realized that the moment when I was less in doubt was when I was active and constant in my creations. The moments of emptiness are when I feel guilty for not having touched my brushes, that's when the unhealthy thoughts can arise.
« This cat that I draw is a recurring character that appears in all my creations. It's a kind of alter ego. »
Do you think one can be both shy and confident ?
If I take my personal case, yes I think that one can be shy, introverted and at the same time confident. My shyness, I feel it in situations of discomfort mainly. I struggle starting conversations with people I don't know very well, but that doesn't mean that I have little confidence or self-esteem. The more I grow, the better I know myself, my qualities and values.
I have confidence in myself because I believe in myself and I know the main lines I want to take in my life to achieve my dreams and goals. This is reflected in the decisions I make, the fact that I know how to say "no" to certain proposals that do not fit with the image and vision I have of my work. I have a strong self-esteem, at least I preserve it and work on it but it is true that I would like to be less shy when it comes to certain social interactions.
You designed a little, cute, playful character that often slips on your paintings. What’s his role, is he an emotion, is he a witness of what’s happening ?
This cat that I draw is a recurring character that appears in all my creations. It's a kind of alter ego. When I was younger I was very inspired by artists with a strong visual identity, from André Saraiva to Kaws, they all had this little character that was always present. I think that in my subconscious, even though I am voluntarily looking for that, I wanted to have this character that would represent me too. I remember drawing it for the first time in high school, half asleep during a philosophy class.
This character is a cat, showing little or no emotion, turning a blind eye to bad things. I've always been accused of running away from situations I was uncomfortable with and that's exactly what he does. This is also why in all my creations, the characters represented close their eyes or look away from the viewer.
« From intimate portraits to everyday life situations, I try to explore the human being with a lot of modern poetry. »
Seems you like Yoshitomo Nara. What moves you in his work ?
I knew the work of Yoshitomo Nara for a very long time, he is a pioneer of Japanese contemporary art and I have a huge respect for his career. Very little, in my opinion, bad work, a unique and very own style, only one collaboration to his credit (if I'm not talking nonsense); Stella McCartney, well, clearly he didn't whore himself out.
And then in the summer of 2017 I got to see a great retrospective exhibition of his work called "For Better or Worse" at the Toyota Municipal Museum of Art in Japan. It was a shock, I had rarely felt emotions when looking at plastic work, I immediately became even more of a fan than I already was. The calmness, serenity and innocence that emanates from his work inspires me enormously, and then Foutain of Life... this work is really something, I invite everyone to be able to see it one day.
Feels like you create way more than you post your works on socials. It can be an overthinking stage for a creative, having the pressure to be present enough. How do you deal with that ?
It's true that social networks are a headache at times, so I just try to post the creations I'm most satisfied with. I don't have this obsessive need to post everything I make. Despite the fact that I don't want to overwhelm myself with this, it still happens.
Because instagram is like a kind of portfolio or virtual gallery, so it's still important to take care of it, you never know what kind of people can come across your profile by chance. I often look at the accounts of artists I like, see how they communicate, interact etc.. In any case there is no doubt that the less time spent on the networks the better is our mental health.
What’s a regular week for you ? Do you invest most of your time in your creative activity ?
A typical week is made of 80% of my creative activity. I try to have a healthy rhythm of life to have a clear mind although debauchery is quite accessible here in Tokyo. I am a homebody but I go out every day in my neighborhood to air my mind, see what surrounds me to have a free mind and create in good conditions.
You often share music you listen to, hip-hop, house, rap, artists such as Four Tet, Dean Blunt, Triplego. Does music has a role in your creative process ?
What music have you been listening to a lot lately, and maybe discovering ?
Music has always been omnipresent in my life. At my parents' home in Paris there was always sound playing, a lot of Air, Erik Satie, Durutti Column. At home too, there is always a background of music, but also a lot of podcasts lately. A house without music doesn't seem very warm to me. It doesn't impact my creative process, but the way artists communicate during the release of their projects inspire me a lot.
I've put together a playlist of sounds I have on loop right now:
Sometimes, your paintings - the drawings, childhood nostalgia, the poetry of the words and the rough feelings - make me think about Taiyou Matsumoto's ones (Sunny, Tekkonstreet, Gogo Monsters). Is that one of your inspirations ? Tell me about these..
Taiyou Matsumoto is a great inspiration, and I'm happy to have been asked this question. Like many people, I discovered Tekkonkinkreet with the animated version released in 2006. The animations, already crazy for the time, and the soundtrack by Plaid, instantly hit me. After that, I immersed myself in his various works, but the most memorable to date remains Sunny, perhaps all existing mangas combined. Well, I'm exaggerating a little, but I can almost remember wanting to cry because I found it so beautiful, poetic and full of innocence, while also evoking the harsh realities of life, seen through the eyes of children and adults. He puts children under the age of 10 on stage, making them say and live situations to such an extent that I wondered "but how does he remember that? How does he know that children react like that at his age?" Anyway, despite my double culture, I've never been a manga fan, but I'd recommend Taiyou Matsumoto's bibliography to anyone.
You used to talk about lack of confidence, anxiety, sensations that are the consequences of low esteem; but your first works shows characters, eyes closed, full of softness, tranquility, lightness and carelessness. Is making them was a way to relieve yourself ?
I'm going to have this rather “cliché” speech that everyone comes up with, but there is completely a form of therapy in what I draw. I never feel as good as when I have finished a painting, taking a brush helps me to forget, drowning in my work allows me to escape once again, finally. I have nostalgia, memories as my main subject, and represent moments of life, moments engraved like photos in memory in a rather colorful universe. The eyes closed or the gaze fleeing the spectator, the characters are calm, seems appeased but in some way hide many secrets.
From intimate portraits to everyday life situations, I try to explore the human being with a lot of modern poetry. And then the emotions passing all by the glance, my goal is to succeed in transmitting these feelings by the work in its entirety.
« drowning in my work allows me to escape once again. »
You did you first exhibition Everything Happens For A Reason in Tokyo in May 2021 and we can see your work has changed since. Did you try to get out of a comfort a zone to reach that, call your intentions, techniques, into questions ?
Yes, I can see that my style and line evolves in two years, I'd say, so much for the better, it's encouraging to see progress and see your hand attack a canvas with more ease. The famous 10 000 hours... I am still far from it, I have always drawn but I beat my laziness a little while ago! The transition from acrylic to oil also, what a joy. I had always postponed the change to oil by fear I guess, and then I stopped making excuses, that's what letting go is, to go for what you want to do without overthinking.
Later I'd like to try a lot of things, I already have a lot of ideas but I'm not going to talk about them too much, if I talk and I don't do it it's a bit of a shame...
You also did a second exhibition the same year at Parco Museum, a group one at Space Banksia, followed by the latest one in Barcelona. Feels like you’ve been teasing self-portraits at distinct years old. What’s next ?
As I write these lines, I am participating in an exhibition with another artist in a gallery in Italy, in the city of Genoa to be exact. Very honored by this opportunity, I want to open myself as much as possible to the European and American market, hopefully very soon. Then will come my second solo exhibition on which I am currently working, this July 2023, in Tokyo.
I am typing this text on the train on my way back to Tokyo, I'll start painting again as soon as I get home. More portraits, new forms of compositions, always trying to surpass myself with each work are the goals to follow for the next 6 months of 2023 (already!).
And above all the things I'm working on, the most important at the moment is to find a real form of coherence in my work, it's not always obvious but there's no secret, it's by working that it will come.
Some words to share ?
Nothing in particular but thanks to you 99ginger for the opportunity, Clarisse for these very in-depth questions and to Gabriel, that I could see again 7 years later in Tokyo, for these beautiful photos and videos!