|
|
Artist Bio Tomoni Shintaku
I create art works that focus on the concept of food, based on my experience of studying at a culinary school and obtaining a cooking license following my graduation from a university of the arts. I experiment with familiar, everyday food items like instant noodles and cake to critically portray modern life and social issues in a plain, simple, and cynical fashion.
I create art works that focus on the concept of food, based on my experience of studying at a culinary school and obtaining a cooking license following my graduation from a university of the arts. I experiment with familiar, everyday food items like instant noodles and cake to critically portray modern life and social issues in a plain, simple, and cynical fashion.
Published on February 20th 2021. Artist responses collected in months previous.
What hurdles have you overcome this year and how have they affected your art practice?
I spent the period of coronavirus self-restraint in my room alone. With no family or friends, I rented a room in a Filipino family's house in Los Angeles, and it was really hard for me to be a stranger in my class. I was lonely, did not find a positive meaning in life, and had a very difficult period because I could not get close to other people. The ONE BITE CHALLENGE AFTER CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) series, which is a work that directly approaches the homeless people and bites a hamburger even in the corona wreck, is a new work born from such suffering.
How has your art practice been affected by the pandemic?
Before I was a contemporary artist, I made a living as a full-time web designer. Therefore, there was no particular economic impact. Of course, I switched from office work to remote work, but now I'm back in the office as before. I feel that my alertness to the coronavirus has diminished both myself and others. Especially after Independence Day in the United States, the number of patients has been increasing. It seems that there were not a few people who had a lot of fireworks and made a fuss about the festival, so it's no wonder. Anyway, the biggest impact was on my mental side. There is no doubt that it was an opportunity to reconsider the way of life now and the way of life in the future.
What support systems have you put in place to help keep your practice thriving amidst these unforeseeable circumstances?
There is nothing exaggerated to call it a system. Just keep practicing living simply. For that matter, don't die. It's not a metaphor, and it's really not easy to live without dying. Most artists are naive, so they want to die right away. Despite this, artists are basically a mass of ambition and a dead man of ambition. However, having that desire is very painful because it is rarely fulfilled. I'm trying to give up. Soon I will be 40 years old. There is not much time left. I'm trying hard to give up my ambitions, but no, I'm an artist, I want honor, so I haven't died yet.
What methods do you employ to stay resilient in your art practice? What tips would you recommend to other artists who find staying resilient difficult?
I think art isn't everything. The more you work hard, the less you can see the surroundings, and the more you think art is like everything in the world, but its not. We are humans, creatures, and then there are things such as art, labor, and housework. All right. You are not an artist enough without doing art. It's not a big deal if art activities are interrupted for a year or two. Art does not ignore what comes, and the money does not fade. If you are a true artist, you will definitely come back to art. To be honest, I'm losing my passion for art now, but I'm not rushing. There are various times I want to live my life at that time.
What have you learned about yourself as an artist this year?
It's not as an artist, but as a human being, that life doesn't work at all. I can't control it myself. I took some pretty ambitious actions this year, all of which were disappointing and unexploded. Of course, I was disappointed. I was depressed. Well, I thought that life was such a thing. At such times, humans always look for the cause to find the criminal. However, there is no such thing. Nothing is wrong. No one is bad. However, when I threw the ball into the world, it just didn't come back. I wonder where my ball went. I don't know. However, there are also such cases. You have to accept it obediently with your whole body.
What hurdles have you overcome this year and how have they affected your art practice?
I spent the period of coronavirus self-restraint in my room alone. With no family or friends, I rented a room in a Filipino family's house in Los Angeles, and it was really hard for me to be a stranger in my class. I was lonely, did not find a positive meaning in life, and had a very difficult period because I could not get close to other people. The ONE BITE CHALLENGE AFTER CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) series, which is a work that directly approaches the homeless people and bites a hamburger even in the corona wreck, is a new work born from such suffering.
How has your art practice been affected by the pandemic?
Before I was a contemporary artist, I made a living as a full-time web designer. Therefore, there was no particular economic impact. Of course, I switched from office work to remote work, but now I'm back in the office as before. I feel that my alertness to the coronavirus has diminished both myself and others. Especially after Independence Day in the United States, the number of patients has been increasing. It seems that there were not a few people who had a lot of fireworks and made a fuss about the festival, so it's no wonder. Anyway, the biggest impact was on my mental side. There is no doubt that it was an opportunity to reconsider the way of life now and the way of life in the future.
What support systems have you put in place to help keep your practice thriving amidst these unforeseeable circumstances?
There is nothing exaggerated to call it a system. Just keep practicing living simply. For that matter, don't die. It's not a metaphor, and it's really not easy to live without dying. Most artists are naive, so they want to die right away. Despite this, artists are basically a mass of ambition and a dead man of ambition. However, having that desire is very painful because it is rarely fulfilled. I'm trying to give up. Soon I will be 40 years old. There is not much time left. I'm trying hard to give up my ambitions, but no, I'm an artist, I want honor, so I haven't died yet.
What methods do you employ to stay resilient in your art practice? What tips would you recommend to other artists who find staying resilient difficult?
I think art isn't everything. The more you work hard, the less you can see the surroundings, and the more you think art is like everything in the world, but its not. We are humans, creatures, and then there are things such as art, labor, and housework. All right. You are not an artist enough without doing art. It's not a big deal if art activities are interrupted for a year or two. Art does not ignore what comes, and the money does not fade. If you are a true artist, you will definitely come back to art. To be honest, I'm losing my passion for art now, but I'm not rushing. There are various times I want to live my life at that time.
What have you learned about yourself as an artist this year?
It's not as an artist, but as a human being, that life doesn't work at all. I can't control it myself. I took some pretty ambitious actions this year, all of which were disappointing and unexploded. Of course, I was disappointed. I was depressed. Well, I thought that life was such a thing. At such times, humans always look for the cause to find the criminal. However, there is no such thing. Nothing is wrong. No one is bad. However, when I threw the ball into the world, it just didn't come back. I wonder where my ball went. I don't know. However, there are also such cases. You have to accept it obediently with your whole body.
Find Tomini Shintaku on Instagram
