Interview with Sudo Art Museum Director Ichiro Sudo | It all started with a single painting
Interview&Text: Masamasa Nishino
It all starts with a picture.
– I have heard that Director Sudo, who was an office worker at an insurance company, decided to open the Sudo Museum after purchasing his first work. Were you not interested in art at first?
Sudo : That's right. I had never bought a work of art before, but when I saw a work by the artist Sokichi Suga at an art museum, my first impression was that it was a strange painting, but I kept thinking about it. As I was watching it, I became curious. Eventually, something started to touch my heart, and my husband and I both fell in love with it, so we asked the museum director to sell it to us, which became our first collection.
A work by Sokichi Suga that inspired me to collect his works.
–Why did you end up owning so many works?
Sudo : After seeing that one piece, I started wanting other works by him, and when I found out that the museums in Himeji and Kobe had them, I visited both of them. I also found out that galleries in Tokyo and Osaka carry my work, so it was my first time to set foot in a gallery.
– For those who have never been to an art gallery, you may have the impression that it is a difficult place to enter. It has an atmosphere that is difficult to get into.
Sudo : That's right. As someone new to art galleries, I was very nervous because I had the impression that if I didn't buy something, I wouldn't be able to leave (lol). But that wasn't the case, and after that I started visiting various galleries, and as I continued to see them, I found myself wanting to see works by other artists as well. My wife and I agreed, so we bought more and more.
–And the number of works continued to increase. Listening to your story earlier, I was reminded of the collector couple Herb and Dorothy (*).
*What is Herb & Dorothy?
A collector couple, Herb, a postal worker, and Dorothy, a librarian, have built one of the world's greatest art collections. Although his income was not high, he steadily continued to purchase works, and the number of works he purchased exceeded 5,000. In recent years, the collection has been donated to museums in all 50 states.
Sudo : I get asked that a lot (lol). But as a collector, I didn't collect them consciously, so I feel more like "it just happened." If you think about it that way, I might not call myself a collector, but if I don't buy the work that interests me, I feel like some kind of blue bird will fly away. However, I believe that you should buy a work not because of its price or name, but because you can feel it and enjoy it.
–I asked you earlier about how you started purchasing your works, and as a result of the collection of works you have finally decided to open the Sudo Art Museum.
Sudo : Yes. When I gathered a lot of paintings, I thought, ``What is the role of a painting?'' and the two answers I came up with were, ``To have many people see it,'' and ``I want to convey to people the emotion that my paintings convey.'' It was. So I created an exhibition space in my home in Machida, where I was living at the time, and opened it up. Since the purpose of the museum was for people to see it, we named it the ``Sudou Art Museum.'' It was open on Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays, and my wife and I were in the gallery on weekdays and I was there on Saturdays and Sundays, and we held various activities there for eight years. At that time, I was still working at the company, so I could have ended it at the same time as I retired, but I was able to make many connections as I continued to work, such as being featured on NHK's Sunday Art Museum, so after Machida... It has been 10 years since we opened our gallery in Ginza, and now we have moved to this location.
The Sudo Museum is located in a renovated building that was previously used as an artist's studio.
It was a former atelier, and pleasant outside light poured into the space.
What only Sudo Museum can do
– I could clearly understand how the activity started with a single painting and gradually expanded. By the way, there are works on display at the venue where we are currently recording, and they were created by artists who were invited as artists-in-residence. Why a residence in Odawara?
Sudo : We invite writers once every two years, and this is the third time. Even before we moved to Odawara, residences in Spain and Slovenia asked us to introduce Japanese artists, and we introduced them. I've always had that feeling inside me. However, it would be difficult in Ginza because of the location, but I thought it might be possible in Odawara, a scenic area, so I brought my proposal and proposed to the government, ``Would you like to do something like this?'' I did. But that wasn't possible, so I decided to start on my own. Artist-in-residence not only promotes art and fosters and supports artists, but also has a variety of possibilities, such as allowing artists to interact with the public through their creative work. Once again, artists and citizens were able to interact through various activities such as concerts, artist workshops, symposiums, and public production of works.
A scene from the interaction workshop with citizens held during artist-in-residence
–Was Mr. Sudo responsible for selecting the writers?
Sudo : Yes. There was an open call for Japanese writers, and I interviewed and selected all of them. However, since we cannot interview overseas writers, we received recommendations from various people based on past connections. This time in particular, I thought it would be a good idea to have writers from various countries come together, so I decided to invite writers from America, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, and Sweden.
–There are so many artists participating from so many countries. If the artist is staying in Odawara to create work, are there any viewpoints or tendencies toward the work that the artist focuses on in Odawara?
Sudo : I don't know if it's a trend, but first we ask the participating artists to take a slow look at what Odawara is like. There is also a castle, and there are many things to see, including a famous soy sauce shop. I also had the opportunity to experience zazen meditation at Daiyuzan Saijoji Temple (lol). So, I'm sure there are people who create works inspired by such places. Junko Okamoto's work on display there was inspired by seeing the walls of a soy sauce shop, and she created it as a paper collage. Also, I think you could say that Victor Alba's (Spain) landscape paintings with Mt. Fuji are works that are inspired by this location. However, there are some artists who have their own unique themes, such as Kate Ali's (USA) work, which depicts a graph of the unemployment rate as a picture. I have the impression that many foreign artists create works based on various themes such as political issues and environmental issues. As a side note, I think it would be too much work just to produce, so I also gave each artist free time.
Photo left: Junko Okamoto (Japan) / Photo right: Victor Alba (Spain) | Both depict their experiences in Odawara on a flat surface.
–That was a valuable experience (lol). It's true that there's no point in coming to Odawara just to create every day, and I think it's important to have time to feel free.
Sudo : That's right. Production is important, but I believe that by getting people to know the great things about Odawara through experiences, we can convey the greatness of this area, which will lead to tourism and the economy later on. We are also talking with the city government about the need to think from such a broader perspective.
Photo: Kate Ali (USA) | The white line is drawn using a graph of the unemployment rate.
– Now, for the last question, an art museum suddenly appeared in a residential area eight years ago, and I think many people in the area were interested in art. . However, over the past eight years, you have carried out various activities, including this artist-in-residence project, but have you noticed any changes in the community's reaction through these activities? I would also like to hear your thoughts on future prospects.
Sudo : I came into the art world through my experience as an office worker, and I have a strong desire to convey to people that art is indispensable to the human spirit. It's not a complete gallery, nor is it a large art museum. However, I believe that we have done what we can only do because we are the Sudo Art Museum. In addition to residences, we have held exhibitions, concerts, workshops, etc. in the affected areas of Iwate Prefecture since the earthquake, and we have taken our collections to rural areas and held on-site art exhibitions. is not it. I think art is something that the general public is not familiar with, but I have always wanted to exhibit works that are of high quality and should be seen by many people, so people around here have also become quite interested. Now you can. In particular, we were able to have many people cooperate and visit our artist-in-residence program. I feel that the meaning of the activities I have been doing up to now is being conveyed to me to a large extent. Is it likely that this will continue in the future? As with this residence project and the East Japan support project, we don't know how long we can continue. I hope that someone will continue this activity in some way.
Photo: Director Ichiro Sudo and his wife Noriko Sudo
The New Year Selection Exhibition will be held from January 8th (Friday) to January 24th (Sunday).
[Period] January 8th (Friday) - January 24th (Sunday) Closed on Mondays
[Opening hours] 11:00-18:00 (until 17:00 on the last day)
http://www.sudoh-art.com/jp/home.html
