Ayasaki expresses a variety of emotions using red as her theme colour in a very distinctive movement. This style stems from the time where she initially painted in black and white and reflects the strong personality of a unique woman who loves the colour red. The halfway abstract landscapes are poetic with a striking use of colour. Ayasaki exhibited in the prominent French art salons, notably in the French National Galleries of the Grand Palais and the Louvre Museum. Her work is held in many private collections by medical centers, famous musicians in France, Japan, UK, USA and others.
A: Please explain more about your connection between appearance and reality and how this is expressed in your work?
Ayasaki: I used to be working as a radio and TV speaker, narrator and interviewer in Tokyo. I perfected my techniques of traditional ink wash painting under Master Shogaku Suzuki, before I moved to Paris in 1999 where I joined the Studios of fine Arts of the Paris City Hall. Under the guidance of main professor A. ROS BLASCO, I developed a very strong feeling for the western art culture that stimulated my creation. After being selected by historical art salons for my oil paintings, I concentrated on this technique. I am now fortunate to be exhibiting across the world.
A: You work with narratives from both history and contemporary events, what is behind your inspiration?
Ayasaki:The Boulogne Forest, Paris’s skyline or the never boring streets are good examples of inspiration. The landscapes and nature surrounding our daily lives inspire me. Even though they are both big cities, Tokyo and Paris have very different atmospheres and murmurs around the city. The hustle and bustle in various tones, very far from those of Japanese, appeal to my intuition. I need a long time to internalize those elements until I can start painting. Then I stand in front of the canvas with some music to take me into the world of fantasy.
A: You work across genres, expand on your technique and your approach.
Ayasaki: There is a fundamental difference between both techniques. Ink wash paintings request a minimalistic approach, where the painter subtracts all superfluous elements from the picture. They must appeal to the psychology of people and suggest colours with only black, white and nuances of grey. The painter only has one attempt to make it right. Oil paintings appeal to our five senses and attract the viewer almost immediately. It is possible to remake it by adding paint on top, which takes off the pressure even though strong concentration is required. The difficulty here is to know when to stop and not to ruin it.
A:Who or what influences you as an artist?
Ayasaki: Today I mainly paint with oil, but I started out with ink wash paintings so, from Monet and the Japonism to Klimt, there are all the artists who got influenced by the very traditional Japanese Ukio-e. I admire Turner who also influenced Monet: his beautiful skies, atmospheres, his strong and grand nature, his deep colours. And also Kandinsky, Feininger… all are great artists who allowed my conversion from just appreciating looking at the paintings to painting myself. I am very grateful to be in an environment that offers me the possibility of keeping looking at their original paintings.
A:Where do you see your work going in the future?
Ayasaki: For an artist, the most unfortunate is to not present its work. I wish many people see my original paintings and bind a connection with them. Particularly, getting live comments from visitors at an exhibition is very exciting. It is interesting that the reaction in front of a painting differs from one region to another. So I would like to keep exhibiting actively in various countries. For now, exhibitions are planned in France but also in Switzerland, Japan and Germany for 2015 and 2016. As for my creations, I would like to try out new expressions using mixed media. I hope to keep myself as an artist in a fresh and discovering feel.
You can see more work of Ayasaki by picking up a copy of Aesthetica Issue 63 now: www.aestheticamagazine.com/shop
Her work can also be seen online on ayasaki.free.fr and www.saatchiart.com/RikkaAYASAKI and on Facebook HERE . See the work in exhibition at Swiss Art Space, Lausanne, Switzerland from 2 April- 18 April, The National Art Center, Tokyo, Japan, 8 August – 16 August, Champs-Elysées, Paris, France (Salon d´Automne) 15 October- 18 October and at Louvre museum Carrousel, Paris, France in December.
The artist’s ink wash paintings are in permanent exhibitions at Saint-Roch gallery
Credit:
1. Passions 7049 92x73cm acrylic on canvas (2014)
2. Passions, Boulogne forest 7015 33x41cm acrylic on canvas (2012)
3. Passions, sunset 5076 55x38cm acrylic on canvas (2013)
