MADSAKI
http://hypebeast.com/blog/madsaki/page/13/

I was delighted to hear that MADSAKI has been releasing some wild new works, as featured on the Hong Kong blog where yone-chan is active, which I introduced in a recent blog post.

I was delighted to hear that MADSAKI has been releasing some wild new works.

MADSAKI, who lived in New York for a long time,

even before the "MAD" crown was placed on his head,

was an artist of a type rarely seen in Japan.

I've had the chance to collaborate with him on a few occasions,

and I've often been left behind by his wild ideas, caught completely off guard.

Meaning, it was fun.

Ah, yes, I once encountered him painting on the bathroom wall at Super Deluxe in Roppongi,
and was taken aback by his work.
In stark contrast to the overall wildness of Masaki's art,
his brushstrokes were incredibly delicate and fluid, almost feminine, which surprised me.

I couldn't help but exclaim, "Masaki, your brushwork is incredibly delicate!"

I remember his thunderous laughter echoing through the restroom, shattering the night's silence.

Later, his collaborative exhibition with Jun Takahashi of Undercover, "Intermission," was an unprecedented and unimaginable presentation.
The vast range between meticulous detail and bold strokes left us stunned, and the aura of the two artists, which dispelled conventional images of creators, profoundly impacted Tokyo's underground snobs and myself.

I heard that the exhibition then toured internationally with the support of Rei Kawakubo.
Naturally.

Then, after some time apart, that Masaki

had finally grown into an artist for whom the "MAD" crown was perfectly suited.

Life has its ups and downs, as they say,

but without diligent daily work and practice,
no amount of talent can lead to the next stage of achievement.

I just remembered, in the Brutus special issue on film I received yesterday, someone wrote – I can't recall who –

that opportunities only come to those who can handle them.

Indeed, I encountered MADSAKI once again, perfectly embodying that phrase.

P.S. I did a quick search and found this interview. I'd like to quote a portion.

I paint in the complete opposite way to before; when I'm not painting, I'm not painting at all, and I don't feel anxious about it at all. . . . Emotions related to desire, status, or fame mean nothing to me. I have no intention of dictating to others, nor do I actively promote myself. Fundamentally, I don't even consider myself a painter. Therefore, writing a blog or riding a bicycle are all the same to me—they are art. How I shape my own life is itself art.

MADSAKI
MADSAKI
Artist
Born in Osaka in '74. Moved to New York in '80. Graduated from Parsons School of Design, Fine Arts department, in '96. An unconventional artist with a career as a bicycle messenger (1999-2002). After spending 25 years in New York, he moved his creative base to Tokyo in '04. For him, "creation = art" is the act of embodying consciousness, gained through daily life and creative endeavors, into the world through a wide range of expressive methods.
Contact MADSAKI URL: www.madsaki.com E-Mail: info@madsaki.com

Quoted
ORG
http://public-image.org/interview/2007/09/20/madsaki.html<br />

← Diary-T 159-164