Interview: Miyuki Suto
Luca Curci talks with Miyuki Suto during FUTURE LANDSCAPES, third appointment of BORDERS ART FAIR, at Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello.

“It is not for anyone. The work is born out of a process of facing myself and becoming aware of my life. By painting, the painter lets go of thoughts and reason, acknowledges impulses and accepts what is in front of her. It can be joy, sadness, a high-speed film or just a form. Through painting, she can always meet herself. She continues to paint only for herself.”

Luca Curci – What is art for you?
Miyuki Suto – For me, art is a series of depictions of living moments. It is the residence of wishes, needs, pain and conflicts that lie dormant in the subconscious and cannot be handled by words. In front of a painting, we cannot lie. We believe that we are constantly encountering the essence of our soul. I continue to paint, not for anyone else, but to face myself and continue to recognise my soul’s journey. By drawing, I let go of thoughts and reason, acknowledge impulses and continue to accept what is in front of me.Painting always allows me to meet myself. I continue to paint for myself.

LC – What are you currently working on?
MS – I usually work with individuals and organisational transformation. I am an artist, coach and head of department in an IT company. Current theme of exploration: Exploration of love. Specifically, building healthy intimate relationships with others and feeling a deep connection with others as who I am. An exploration of trusting my own powerfulness and its potential. An exploration of surrendering myself to the world, indulging the world, asserting my selfishness and remaining loved.

LC – How do you choose your subjects? Is it a reasoned or an instinctive process?
MS – Instinctive. I do not paint figurative objects. I use painting as a medium to express the formless concepts, sensations and energies of my inner world.

LC – How do you feel when you see your work completed?
MS – This is the moment when I felt a form, unity and cohesion in a work that I had been drawing without a form. It is also when something inside me resonates, heals or is filled with pleasure. Often, I continue to play with the same work without completing it.

LC – Do you use art to express something in particular? Is it your medium of expression?
MS – I had always focused on expressing myself in words and in a way that was easy to understand. On the other hand, I felt that words can only express a part of the manifest consciousness, something that I already kind of know. Besides, I feel challenged by the fact that putting things into words is the flip side of understandability, and that there are elements that are cut away. I am attracted to concepts, elements and ambiguous things that have yet to take shape and I find them beautiful. I feel the possibility of savouring them with my physical senses and enjoying what I don’t understand without understanding it. As one of the ways of savouring this, I am currently employing painting.

LC – What is the message linked to the artwork you have shown in this event? How is it connected to the theme of the entire exhibition?
MS – It manifests the way invisible concepts and energies mix. The theme of this exhibition is “Boundaries”, which received the image of the boundary between different concepts and the space between them. In the work “Meguru”, I depicted twin energies merging, circulating and blossoming as if they were holding hands. The work titled “Embodiment of Search in Uncertainty” is a scene of boundary space. It is at times explosive, and at other times particularly sharp. I believe that it is precisely in the midst of uncertainty that there are landscapes that can only be seen in this one moment in time.

LC – We were attracted by your last artistic production, has the artwork presented been created for the exhibition or as a part of preexisting works?
MS – As a part of preexisting works. If I have the opportunity to exhibit in the future and have more time to spare, I would like to work on a themed production.

LC – Did you enjoy cooperating with us?
MS – Yes, thank you all for your loving support. This exhibition marked the first time I have exhibited my original artwork abroad. I hope to visit the region myself the next time I take part.

LC – What do you think about ITSLIQUID Platform?
MS – I think they have diverse exhibition opportunities and are doing a wonderful job of expanding the recognition and activities of artists around the world.

LC – What do you think about the organization of our event?
MS – They also provide support to artists who are exhibiting abroad for the first time. The communication is quick and reassuring.