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Makoto Azuma

A florist who creates punk art using plants and flowers.

Makoto AzumaMakoto Azuma

Makoto Azuma is an owner of the flower shop Jardins des Fleurs as well as an artist who not only explores the visual beauty of colors and shapes that are given off from plants and flowers, but also creates works of art from them. In his works you can capture the opposing essence of dynamism and subtlety or hard and soft. So far, he has exhibited in various places nationally and internationally including a show at colette, a performance for Les Soirees Nomades at Fondation Cartier, a solo show at NRW Forum in Germany and etc. He has also actively showcased his creation for 2 years in his own private gallery AMPG which was closed in last March. Shift had a phone interview with him.


Please introduce yourself.

I’ve been managing a flower shop as well as working as an artist using plants.


Makoto Azuma
"Distortion x Flowers" Eye of Gyre / Tokyo / 2009


Could you tell us about your ongoing projects?

My solo exhibition “Distortion x Flowers” is shown at an art space Eye of Gyre in Omotesando, Tokyo and opened May 15th. With the photos I am showing flowers, which were inspired by various sound distortions created using effect units. Photos are taken by my buddy Shunsuke Shiinoki.

Also, I did collaboration with Daido Moriyama. The group collaborated exhibition will be held at Epsite Gallery from May 28th. Here I did some doodle illustrations on Mr. Moriyama’s photos. I’m interested in illustration and doodles lately. As my flower works can’t last, I’ve been doing sketches to leave traces of my creation and showing them to the audience.

And another one is a part of an art project which is in progress in Naoshima, Kagawa. Shinro Otake has designed a sento (bathhouse) and I did the plantings around the sento. I made a punk cactus garden in a greenhouse, which looks quite manic.


Makoto Azuma
Jardins des Fleurs, Tokyo / 2009


You’ve been managing a flower shop Jardens des Fleurs. First of all why did you decide to start a flower shop?

Ever since I formed a band in junior high school, I decided to move to Tokyo to do music. And I was looking for a job and just found a job at a flower shop in the classified section. The flower shop was located near my house. That was how I got involved in this world. I wasn’t interested in flowers, nor did I like them at all. Until then I didn’t know this kind of world existed. So as I got into this world, I was shocked by it and got interested in it.


After that how did you get your idea to make a work using flowers as an artist?

Everyday I work with flowers, and that’s basically a kind of job to provide a work of art using flowers for customers. As doing so, I realized I wanted to make more direct relationship with flowers. I got a desire to pull out more of the distinctive features of flowers and to make flowers something as I imagined them. There is a way to do in Ikebana, but I didn’t feel right doing it that way. I was wondering how I could fill the desire, and then I decided to start doing it in my own way.


What did you make for your first work?

It was a hanging pine tree. Before working as an artist, I used to make a Christmas tree made of dried sardines which was displayed in a hip store. People liked it and I was like it’s interesting and wanted to get into it more seriously. Since then I think I’ve been looking for my own expression.

Makoto Azuma
"hand base" AMPP Vol.22


You established your own private gallery AMPG for a limited time opened for 2 years. How and why did you start AMPG?

I use plants for my work. First of all there were no galleries that accepted plant art. I know it’s because there are many problems using plants and flowers since they are living things. For this reason I think exhibits using plants in gallery spaces didn't happen. So then I decided to do it by myself and started AMPG. Recently there are galleries that welcome plants. I think I’ve proved a way for how galleries can handle living artworks during 2 years of AMPG experience.


Makoto Azuma
AMPP


You have exhibited your new work once a month for 2 years at AMPG, which made a total of 24 works. You are very active.

I like to work on things hard. And to present a piece of artwork, I don’t like to be seen as if I just make a work to exhibit it in a rental gallery space. I thought I needed at least 2 years for doing exhibitions to convince people. So I’ve implemented 24 exhibitions in total for 2 years at AMPG. Besides showing works, we made visual papers AMPP for each exhibition under the concept to let the audience bring the installation from work back home.


Makoto Azuma
"Botanical Sculpture #2 holding" Solo Exhibition "AMPG vol.25" Mitsubishi Jisho Artium / Fukuoka / 2009


Your solo exhibition AMPG vol. 25 is on show at Mitsubishi Jisho Artium in Fukuoka your local city. AMPG vol. 25 showcases all the past work you exhibited at AMPG in addition to a new work. Please tell us about the new work Plants of Remembrance 0-21 Fukuma?

This is my second time exhibiting my work at Mitsubishi Jisho Artium. It’s an exhibition in my local city, but I don’t feel love toward the local area. I don’t have specific feelings toward any cities like Tokyo, Fukuoka, New York or London. But I came up with an idea to make a work under the theme of my memory, as I hold an exhibition in my local city. Many people have their own memories like if you listen to certain kinds of music, it reminds you of a girlfriend who you used to hang around and things like that. And I wanted to express such memories with plants. Returning to my local area, I kept track of the past memories I’ve gone through, shooting a road movie by seeing various people, eating local foods, staying there over night and so on. At the end of the film, the making process of my latest work is included.


Makoto Azuma
"Plants of Remembrance 0-21 Fukuma" Solo Exhibition "AMPG vol.25" Mitsubishi Jisho Artium / Fukuoka / 2009


Which plants did you use for the work?

Pine trees and bamboo shoots. As for bamboo shoots, I got my inspiration from it as I visited the hill where I used to hang around when I was a kid. At the very beginning, I had an idea to use wild flowers. But once I returned there and looked into my past, I realized there was no such image of using wild flowers. Using the bamboo I think I was able to express as true to my memory as possible.


Besides the installation, I heard that you performed live in front of the exhibited work.

Yes. I played as I got inspiration from the installation. My buddy Shiinoki and I played guitar and my brother played the drums. We did it improvisational style.


Makoto Azuma
"White Emotion" Tenjin IMS / Fukuoka / 2009


In your local area, you also did an installation work White Emotion in Tenjin IMS from March 18th for a month.

I worked on it under the theme of drop. As its 20th anniversary, I created a drop hanging from the ceiling and from it there stretched out onto the vast green. I have a special feeling for the place as I used to hang around there when I was young. The place was a kind of starting post.


Makoto Azuma
"Shiki" Solo Exhibition "AMPG vol.25" Mitsubishi Jisho Artium / Fukuoka / 2009


One of your features is using pine trees for your works including the Shiki series and ROLLING.

Yes. I just like pine trees. I can feel noise and sound from the tree. I prefer such kind of plants.

Makoto Azuma
"Shiki 2" Solo Exhibition "AMPG vol.25" Mitsubishi Jisho Artium / Fukuoka / 2009

As for the Shiki series, one of the concepts is to express the existence of itself that is something more than that of the wild pine tree, pulling all the power it has.
As for ROLLING, I got an image of the pine tree rolling, which I saw at the site of Imperial Palace when it was raining hard. It seemed as if the tree was rolling to be dissolved in rain. But I rolled it because I just wanted to do it.


Makoto Azuma
"ROLLING" Solo Exhibition "AMPG vol.25" Mitsubishi Jisho Artium / Fukuoka / 2009

I guess humor is very important. I’m not interested in the art which “know-it-all kind of people looking at seriously”. I think “art” is something like “wastes” that artists create, and we are like eating them. Knowing it, I want to see art and I want to be inspired from art. I think the same thing can be said about music.


Another distinctive feature of your works is the combination of music and plants, which can be seen in your work “Distortion x Flowers”.

Music and plants play a major role in my work and are one of the big themes. I think there is definitely a common feature between the 2. It could be something that people can sense or some kind independence of its own. It’s like you can hear a certain sound from a certain flower. In addition to visualizing colors, I also sense sound when I select, look and represent plants.


Are you going to continue working on the next edition for the Shiki series as a part of your upcoming plans?

I think it will be it (laughs). The series gained a good reputation for the exhibition at NRW Forum. Even getting many offers for exhibitions from other countries in Europe, I think the series has been completed inside of me.

I want to get more into rolling plants. It might be a real eco activity in a way. You will concentrate to look at the rolling pine tree, but you won’t go gazing over a pine tree to the beach. I have such an idea behind all my artwork.
I create artwork by depriving plants of its life. What I want to convey from it is to plant such an idea in people’s mind, by catching a moment of beauty to create unusual forms of art.


Makoto Azuma
"Time of moss" Exhibition "TOKYO FIBER '09 SENSEWARE" Triennial art museum / Milano / 2009


What is your main concern for creating your work?

Ultimately I have respect for plants. Plants can’t lead me, and vice versa. I believe I should be at the same place in the same direction as plants are. Also I’ve been managing a field for glowing seasonal flowers and plants for 4 years. I think it’s very important to grow plants. Of course I do create works using the plants I grow. I think a great deal about the distance between plants and myself. I want to accept plants and want plants to accept me. So I’ve been farming as a spiritual place to train myself.


Makoto Azuma


What would you like to do the next?

As I manage a flower shop, I can’t be away for a long time. An eternal theme for me is to keep myself as a florist and I want to work with flowers until I die. Unless I keep such desire, it’s impossible to create flower art.

The other day I visited to the Cactus Herb Garden in Miyazaki, which was closed 4 years ago. I’ve been asked to do something there from the person who is managing the untouched garden. I’d really like to do something at the garden at any moment (laughs), but as I said earlier it’s not possible since I want to do the flower shop for the rest of my life. There are many cactuses left at the garden and they keep growing strong. It’s the best place! We took many pictures of the garden, so I’m planning to release the book. I have ambition to reproduce the place even taking a decade in the future.


Makoto Azuma
Adidas / 2009


You will release shoes collaborated with Adidas.

Yes, the Adidas shoes will be out in November! There are 5 different variations and I also did a sweat suit, which is based around the 60’s style using organic cotton. Shoes are designed with an artificial grass sole.

I will be participating to do an installation in the exhibition for the next edition of Six Scents, which will be kicked off in New York in September and touring for 2 months in Paris, London, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Seoul.


Jardins des Fleurs
Address: B1F 4-15-43 Minamiaoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Tel: 03-5414-5824
http://www.jardinsdesfleurs.com


Text: Mariko Takei

Have a look at "Shift city guide tokyo" for your information guide of tokyo.
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