How did Saiko Otabe cultivate her distinct flair and compositions in her artworks? 

—Congratulations on your first solo exhibition in Europe. How did it come about?

Saiko Otake: I met the owner of Sato Gallery, Julien, when I was visiting Paris in 2019 for work, and we were able to make this exhibition happen after covid. I was in my head because it was my first art show in Europe, but he told me, “Have fun with it!” That made me want to show an evolved version of what I had been making in Japan. One of my dreams, to have an exhibition abroad, has come true. 

—Your works are characterized by their powerful, rich colors, including pieces in COLOURIDER. What role does color play? 

Otake: I discovered 60s psychedelic art as a child and was drawn to distinct color schemes using fluorescent colors, typography, and the impact of color. Since then, I’ve truly understood the power that colors have. It’s not that I like colors just because they’re loud; I like strange color schemes or the power and strong impression that colors emit when combined. There are infinite ways to combine and show colors, so I want to express how amazing they are all the time. 

—The title, COLOURIDER, fits your exhibition so perfectly. Your compositions and arrangements are unique and exquisite. 

Otake: When I was younger, I wanted to become someone who makes posters. Perhaps I think of my art as compositions that combine patterns and colors rather than paintings due to my admiration for posters. I like looking at old posters and advertisements, so I’m sure they influence my work. Other than drawing women, I drew things that don’t exist, like dinosaurs and monsters. 

This might be the influence of psychedelic posters. I also have some pieces where I intensely filled in the blank spaces with something like words that connected to each other.

Blurring the line by combining photos/A book series that accumulates everyday inspiration 

—Aside from paintings, you’re also showing artworks that combine two photos together. You create a different image by putting photos that look seemingly unrelated to one another side by side. How did you come up with this?

Otake: I joined a workshop on Daido Moriyama’s exhibition at Tate Modern when I was in London. Monochromatic photos were on the wall, and we had to choose a number and create our own layout. That workshop inspired me to put together photos I took on my own. The catalyst for [this method] was placing photos that looked seemingly unrelated to one another side by side. It was fun. The boundaries between time, place, and colors are made ambiguous by combining two completely different photos, so I was especially mindful of the balance of the colors and shape of the layouts. For this exhibition, the theme is overseas and Japan; the photos I took abroad are on the left, and those I took in Japan are on the right. 

—Is that how your book series was born? 

Otake: Yes. I had always wanted to make a book with no blank spaces, so I made three as part of my graduation project at Central Saint Martins. I self-published 15 books by 2022. I took photos as though I were collecting sceneries that inspired me daily. 

—What sort of sceneries in your daily life do you get inspiration from? 

Otake: I’m interested in old things that have been left behind and things that humans altered. I’m drawn to parts of posters, peeling walls, old mannequins, and more. In terms of places, I like museums, old stationery stores, vintage shops, and markets selling many different items. Bathrooms, signs, and trash on the ground are must-sees when I’m overseas. They have unique colors that you don’t see in Japan. 

・Impressions of visiting the Netherlands for the first time and traveling around Europe

—I see. I’d like to hear about your travels. This is your first time visiting the Netherlands; what are your impressions? 

Otake: What surprised me were the big windows where you can see everything inside the houses. I heard that in the past, it signaled living a modest life under the influence of Protestantism, which preferred simplicity and frugality. But today, it’s shifting to a custom where people show off. That was interesting. When I walk on the streets, I feel like I’m watching one scene from a film because I see glimpses of people’s lives, like a family sitting at the dinner table. I talked to long-time residents of the Netherlands, which made me appreciate the place even more. It’s relatively easy to get a visa, and the support for artists is generous. Traveling around, I get the impression that the people are kind here.

—Your trip started in London. You’re now done with traveling around the Netherlands, and you’re visiting Paris after this. What do your travels look like? 

Otake: I got so pumped when I first saw (Ronald Brooks) Kitaj’s exhibition in London, and the cityscape, smell, and look of pubs all felt so nostalgic. I was nervous because it took a long time for my pieces to arrive in Rotterdam. I also went to the Hague and Amsterdam to visit people I know. I feel happy every day because I can absorb things I find stimulating for the first time in a long time.

I want to visit the Japan Museum Sieboldhuis in Leiden after this. Writer Akira Yoshimura-san’s books are interesting, so I’m interested in Sieboldhuis and the people he was affiliated with. I’m going to Philippe Weisbecker’s exhibition in Paris and Gilles Aillaud’s exhibition at the Centre Pompidou. I’m also going all the way to Lyon to visit the Ideal Palace. It’s a castle built by a mail carrier named (Ferdinand) Cheval and is categorized as outsider art. I’ve been interested in it since I was small, so I’m very excited. 

—I’m surprised by the breadth of your interests, which span modern art, outsider art, and even history. 

Otake: I’m looking forward to seeing actual paintings by Van Gogh, Picasso, Matisse, and so on, but I want to cross the line of art that has already been assigned value and appreciate various things with curiosity.

—How has the path to becoming an artist been?

Otake: I’ve enjoyed looking at many different things since I was small. I used to draw people in my sketchbook and look through magazines to draw. But I didn’t think of becoming an artist, nor did I believe I could make a living as one, so I simply hoped I could support my father (who’s an artist). I eventually started wanting to draw and express things myself; I am where I am today because I was given many opportunities. 

—How do you feel now that you’re having your first solo exhibition in Europe?

Otake: I’m relieved it opened safe and sound; I’m satisfied with my first solo exhibition outside Japan. It’d be more interesting to show bigger pieces with colors next time. It’s open until March 3rd, so I’m both apprehensive and eager about the feedback I’ll receive. It was hard because I’d feel down due to the terrible state of the entire world, but that’s why I wanted to convey the power that colors possess through this exhibition. I myself feel encouraged when I see colors.

■SAIKO OTAKE COLOURIDER
Date: January 25th, 2024 (Thursday) to March 3rd (Sunday)
Venue: Sato Gallery 
Address: Insulindestraat 78, 3038 JB Rotterdam, Netherlands
Entrance fee: free 
Website: https://www.sato.art/ja/exhibitions/23/overview/

Translation Lena Grace Suda

The post Artist Saiko Otake on the Origins and the Present State of Her Art: Her First Solo Exhibition at a European Gallery, “COLOURIDER” appeared first on TOKION - Cutting edge culture and fashion information.

A new EP based on women featuring distinct women artists

—Your new EP, PrimaDonna vol. 1, which was released in June, is a project that celebrates the fortuitous spirit of women. Could you talk about what thoughts and feelings you put into this new project? 

Pablo Padovani (Pablo): I always wanted to make a record-based on women, with women vocalists only. 

—Every song features a guest artist, such as Melody’s Echo Chamber, Juliette Armanet, Felicia Douglass, and Say Lou Lou. How did you come to select these artists? 

Pablo: It’s my record, but the focus was on women vocalists, so I wanted the production side of things to be equal as well. I wanted to make the record through authentic relationships. I used to be the guitarist for Melody’s Echo Chamber. Juliette Armanet is a French singer who I’m close with, I’ve provided videos for her for I’m a film director too. I met Say Lou Lou when I was traveling in America, and we had similar vibes.

—The Japanese edition includes “Idéal Doki-Doki – 理想的ドキドキ,” featuring the former member of Cibo Matto, Miho Hatori. Could you talk about how this collaboration happened?

Pablo: I love Japan, and I wanted to make a song in Japanese. It felt good when I worked with KOM_I of Wednesday Campanella before, so I wanted to do it with a Japanese artist again. I was looking for someone for a long time and came across Miho Hatori’s music. I was so happy when she gladly accepted the offer because I genuinely wanted to work with her. There’s so much I want to do in Japan, but I can’t do those things right now, so I’m maintaining my motivation by doing remote collaborations. 

Forever loving Japanese culture and music

—That’s how much you love Japan.

Pablo: I can’t stop loving Japan (laughs). I visited for the first time in 2014. I’ve been going to Japan at least once a year, six years after that, for work and fun. 

—Your second album, Cité Champagne, released in 2018, has songs like “Planète Tokyo,” inspired by Tokyo, and “Langage,” featuring KOM_I. How did you discover Japanese music and culture in the first place?  

Pablo: I didn’t know much about it before. When I visited for the first time, I was shocked by how Japan was a completely different world I had never come into contact with before. The language, lifestyle, and everything were so different. I felt a lot of energy. For example, I was surprised to discover that transportation systems like the subway and the JR line, and airports had their own jingles. I thought it would be interesting to combine the various sounds of Tokyo, and that’s how the idea for “Planète Tokyo” was born. I actually used a sample of the jingle that plays before an announcement is made at Narita airport. 

—Could you talk about why you made “Langage” and “Idéal Doki-Doki – 理想的ドキドキ” in Japanese?

Pablo: I’m not good at English, and there was a moment where I felt melancholic because I couldn’t communicate with people in Japan. But I could communicate through wordless means of communication using gestures and culture. That’s why I thought it was perfect to create “Langage” with KOM_I. By having KOM_I sing in Japanese, I could express language barriers and the difficulty of communicating. I used a lot of sax in “Idéal Doki-Doki – 理想的ドキドキ” and had happy and soft 80s Japanese pop music in the back of my mind. The Japanese language has a beautiful ring, so I want to make more songs in Japanese with Japanese artists. 

—In an interview you gave in 2018 about Cité Champagne, you said the likes of YMO, Makoto Matsushita, and Shintaro Sakamoto inspired you. What aspect of their music appeals to you?

Pablo: Cité Champagne had a French touch sound at the start, but I found out from somewhere that 80s Japanese pop music was largely influenced by American and British music. When I listened to it, I got into it. It’s exciting and exotic. The appeal is in the quality of the sound. They used the newest, rare synthesizers of its time, like those from Roland, Yamaha, and Korg. 

—Japanese city pop has been trending lately, but what do you think about that? 

Pablo: For a long time, it was a genre only Japanese people knew. But thanks to the spread of the internet, such dormant Japanese music began to circulate worldwide. I get excited when I hear city pop playing in cafes and bars in Paris, as well as my friends’ places. I feel like I’ll hear more of it in the future. 

A diverse sonic universe and the future

—One characteristic of your music is your hybrid sound, which is a blend of different genres. What kind of music do you listen to?

Pablo: When I was a kid, I listened to 70s progressive rock like King Crimson and Gong. After that, I listened to ambient music like Roedelius and Brian Eno, all the way to krautrock like NEU!. I’ve recently been listening to electro music. I like listening to many genres of music without just sticking to one. 

—Your eponymous EP, which you put out in 2013, was mixed by Kevin Parker. Could you talk about how you met him? 

Pablo: I met him at a bar when he was living in Paris as the producer for Melody’s Echo Chamber. I was 21 or 22 back then and only had demos of MOODOÏD’s music. Because I was in Melody’s Echo Chamber band and she was involved in Tame Impala’s second album, Lonerism, we became quite close and he told me he would mix my music, as I didn’t know his way of mixing music. We spoke about it as we went, and he completed the process while we were on the tour bus or waiting to play at a show without ever getting into a studio. It opened my eyes. He taught me you could make music anywhere with one computer.

—Have your music-making process and attitude towards music changed since the pandemic started?

Pablo: A lot of changes occurred. During lockdown last year, I lived in my apartment alone for about two months. It was the first time I didn’t see anyone at all, but I was able to spend time producing music, and I pondered a lot because I had always liked being alone. As a result, I figured I didn’t need to be in Paris to work and moved to Marseilles. The sea is five minutes away from the studio now, so when I feel stuck, I could go swim, feel refreshed, and then work. Isn’t that nice?

—That’s amazing. Could you talk about what’s next in store for you regarding releases and such?

Pablo: I want to finish making PrimaDonna vol. 2 this summer. Two songs are complete now. I’m looking for artists to collaborate with, for the remaining three songs. Like the first volume, I’m going to collaborate with various artists. I can’t say much yet, but British, Spanish, and Japanese artists are the candidates. 

—Lastly, what do you want to say through your music? What’s important to you, and what do you want to say to your fans in Japan? 

Pablo: The most important thing for me when I make music is love and romance. These themes are universal, and everybody in the world understands them. Love and romance have taught and nurtured me a lot. It may sound cliché, but live with love, be obsessed with something, and have passion. Those things are the most important in life, and it makes life brighter. 

MOODOÏD
MOODOÏD is a French psychedelic pop artists, Pablo Padovani is behind it and is the former guitarist of Melody’s Echo Chamber and son of saxophonist Jean-Marc Padovani. After the release of his first EP of the same name (2013), mixed by Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, he released his debut full-length album, Le Monde Möö, the following year. Moodoïd’s unique, glittery pop sound gained attention from France and the rest of the world. Moodoïd’s Reptile EP, released in 2017, and “Planète Tokyo,” an electro-house track illustrating Pablo’s admiration for neon-filled Japan, became a hit. His second album, Cité Champagne, was released in 2018, and “Langage,” a collaborative song with Wednesday Campanella, was made possible through a project between Summer Sonic 2018 and Eurockéennes. They played onstage at both festivals.
Twitter：@moodoidmusic
Instagram：@moodoid
Facebook：@Moodoid

Translation Lena Grace Suda

The post Pablo Padovani of Moodoïd on his latest PRIMADONNA project and his love for Japan appeared first on TOKION - Cutting edge culture and fashion information.