. facing the scene while maintaining a good distance.
How long have you been doing what you are doing now?
FACE:I have been drawing pictures for a long time, and it has been about 7 to 8 years since I started receiving work. . Since I started uploading my drawings on Instagram, I gradually started receiving more and more illustration requests.
I think you started out as an illustrator, often drawing illustrations for magazines and other publications. However, it seems that from there you gradually began to focus more on your activities as an artist.
FACE:Yes, that's right. Around the time when I started my activities, Yu Nagaba and Yusuke Hanai were active, and I had the sense that the line between illustrator and artist was gradually becoming blurred. I was able to get on the bandwagon (laughs).
FACE:In this way, my client work increased rapidly, but I had always wanted to paint more personal works as an artist. Of course, I was serious about the work I received. I started out as an illustrator, but gradually shifted my title to artist.
. The shift seems very smooth and natural, doesn't it?
FACE:Are you sure? Thank you . But I think it is because I am supported by the people around me rather than by myself alone. I get a lot out of collaborating with cool people, and although I think my pictures are pop, I think it's the people who make them cool that make them so.
Nishimoto:FACE is a man who values culture very much, isn't he? I think that is why he gets along well with SHINKNOWSUKE and Goro, and there is a mutual respect between them. Also, there is a very local feel to the place. Minnano" in Ikenoue and "Supply" in Yoyogihachiman serve as hubs where various people gather, forming a unique community.
I feel that you value community. Fashion and art are the catalyst for this connection, but before that, there is a sense of mutual trust and friendly competition among people.
Nishimoto:. Yes, that's right. I feel that they are facing the Japanese fashion and art scene while maintaining a good sense of distance. I think this kind of community is common in other countries. I feel like this is the Japanese version of that.
FACE:Thank you for saying that.... Thank you very much.
Nishimoto:There are many creators whose works are consumed as a trend. However, I think that FACE is able to draw cool works because he has such a respectful mind, and I believe that he is well-received by the people around him.
Recently , Balenciaga incorporated SM rubber costumes in their collection. I thought that finally a major brand was paying attention to such underground culture. Some people want it to be left alone, while others are happy to see it featured. I also love SM and have been following it for a long time, so there is a part of me that feels somewhat uncomfortable with it.
I don't know yet what the next season will be like, but I would be sad to see it end with just the good parts of the culture. I don't want to just end up being consumed. I think it is important to preserve the essence of the culture, and I make my clothes with this in mind.
I would like to ask Mr. FACE, I don't think there is a goal, but do you have any current goals?
FACE:I want to be part of art history. I would also like to have my works in the collection of a decent art museum. That is my dream.
In terms of immediate goals, I would like to be on par with the senior artists who belong to "Gallery Target," with whom I am currently in communication.
Art is very difficult to evaluate, isn't it? People have different values.
FACE:Yes, that's right. That's why we can't always be at ease.
Nishimoto:Personally, I think FACE-kun will be in line, though.
FACE:I am glad to hear you say so, but I think I am not ready yet....
Nishimoto:You are able to draw something unique, something that only FACE can do, aren't you?
FACE:. I wonder if that is the difference between an artist and an illustrator.
Nishimoto:FACE's works are instantly recognizable as such. It has originality. I think that's what's so great about it.
You have always painted flat pictures, but recently your style has changed to a more three-dimensional one, hasn't it?
FACE:Yes, that's right. I was influenced by Cowes and other artists, and I originally wanted to draw works with crisp lines. At first, I was not very good at coloring, but I honed my skills as I explored various ways of painting. Gradually, I was able to do more and more, and when I started painting three-dimensional pictures on small canvases, I got a good response, so now I am challenging myself to paint on large canvases.
Nishimoto:It's evolved a lot, hasn't it? The use of colors is very FACE-like.
Are you interested in NFT?
FACE:I have not yet found what I want to express with NFT. Since I have arrived at this form through analog, I don't think I can go digital all of a sudden. I would like to try it once I have that sorted out and have a clear idea of the kind of people I want to work with.
Nishimoto:I see...that's very like you, FACE.
