Artist Statement
My artwork has always been focusing on "impermanence",
because Iit's hard for me to take my eyes away from the irresistible reality, "change with time".
Every worldly thing is doomed to decay with time. Nobody can deny this fact.
But I have been trying to watch those changing process, to find some value and beauty in it.
For me, the fact of changing means in itself nature.
So, it is natural that all my artworks should be subject to change, that is to say, decay.
Backed by this basic philosophy, I stick to my own attitude:
create on open-air site, use natural materials, and eventually let it return to earth.
That's the cause for me to call myself "site specific artist".
Why mud?
I usually find myself picking up mud unintentionally, every time when I come up with a new concept of my artwork.
Why I so much stick to mud? My irresistible inclination toward mud must be rooted from my gene, or DNA, that I inherently possess in me, or, so to speak, backed by long-held cultural tradition observed by our ancestors generation from generation.
I have to realize that the uniqueness of Japanese culture, including way of thinking, sense of value, or religious conviction can be characterized by the word “wet”. The Japanese used to live with mud, cultivating rice in the water-filled mud field, making walls with water-added mud, and they used to feel strong closeness toward mud, as their environment was awash with mud.
That’s why I can’t still resist mud’s silent call attracting me.OHYA Rica rica@site-specificart.com