Women Cinemakers meets
Akiko Nakayama Lives and works in Japan
Alive painting – it is a live performance / live cinema of dynamic changing picture and sounds. During the performance, people concentrate on altering beauty of blending paints and philosophical meanings. Alive painting is an abstract metaphor of various aspect of nature through the use of colors and fluidity, and attempts to celebrate the moments of beauty amidst the ephemerality of life. Life has different wavelengths. So, I create work of art with various materials and forms of media to capture each passing moments. The colors and fluidity could touch the each memory and imagination of each audience. The meeting of 2 colors represents the dance of Yin and Yang.
An interview by Francis L. Quettier and Dora S. Tennant womencinemaker@berlin.com
Hello Akiko and welcome to Women Cinemakers. We would like to introduce you to our readers with a couple of questions regarding your background. You have a solid formal training: you hold a MA and a BA, that you received from Tokyo Zokei University. How did this experience inform your current practice? As well, how would you describe the influence of your Japanese roots to your vision of art in general?
After passing the basic entrance exam test of oil painting and drawing I chose Tokyo Zokei University 's Fine Art Conceptual Art Course as my field of study. This course invites students to explore ways of integrating arts practices with thought. The university gives you an empty space to work in and that is where you start. Students produce their own layouts, buy the wood, even make desks and install walls. Paper, sculpture, photography, video, printmaking and poetry were among the media and areas I explored and focused on in my first year.