You re-shape those metals by yourself. What are you thinking or imagining when you are working with metals?

I use a machine to re-shape metals. My machine is old and it makes a big throbbing sound. I stand in front of the machine, feel the throb of the machine, and start to imagine. Then my imagination changes into a hallucination. I’m not a human being anymore by the time I awake. I put this delusional world into my art. When I go deep in it, it’s horrible. The machine starts to order to me. “Make a hole here. Shave here. Polish.” And so on. My hands and heart gradually get into the hallucinatory world as it feels the throb. If I get into another world completely, it is very dangerous, so I come back. But this is the way for me to do my art. I dedicate myself to my work.

BAR ROSE CHU (1979) Photo courtesy of Chu Enoki, Miyanomori Art Museum

How about “BAR ROSE CHU”? Why did you play a woman?

I like to drink. But at that time, I couldn’t afford to go out and drink. So I made a place where I could drink even though I didn’t have money. Then I played a woman. I put breasts on me. Everybody can touch my boobs, and drink. I made a place like a paradise. My art is fighting, drawing, making, I do various works but each time I dedicate myself deep into the art, so when I come back from that world, I get confused in regard to what I want to do next. So I need another person who is objective. I’m not good at expressing myself with words, but words are necessary to express things. I made ROSE as my agent who goes between words and non-words. I did this performance again in 2006. A lot of people including an artist, KENJI YANOBE, drank with me.

You also had been working as a company employee. The compatibility of work and art must be hard.

I had been working as an employee for about 40 years. I didn’t feel hard because I was doing it for living. I didn’t have enough time for sleep, but I was happy because I had so many things that I wanted to do. My job was a very delicate job about metal.

That is why you are familiar with using metals.

Yes. But sometimes my art and my job were too close and it felt hard to do art. That’s why I had been making large works. After I retired from my job, I started to make what I really think is beautiful. I changed my approach to art from 2003, it was only 3 or 4 years ago.

Do you make works all by yourself? Or do you have any assistants?

Normally I make my works all by myself. But when I have exhibitions like this, I have some people help because I have to make a lot and I use a lot of metals. I used to hold exhibitions at my house every 1 or 2 years. It was after I retired from my job when people started to invite me to do these kind of big shows. It affects my art because I meet a lot of people through the exhibitions. Working with others, drinking with them builds a sense of comraderie and some people come to see me again. Who I am is made by the people I meet and things I see. I am very happy with this situation because I like people. I have an atelier at Kobe, but each time I hold an exhibition, I rent a different atelier depending on what I make.

You move for each work?

Yes, because I want to make my work fit the space of exhibitions. I rent warehouses only while I make a work. And shut myself up in there. I don’t choose a space or metal parts which are more than I’m capable of. I always take ways I can handle. But I’m not very young and don’t have the power I used to have, so I get people to help.

Falcon-H²D², Photo: Yoshisato Komaki

You break your works after exhibitions.

Those are too big to sell. So I break them. I can’t make works to sell or keep. That makes my work bad. It is not my work anymore if I am restricted by time and money. I think about breaking it from the beginning. I have never thought of keeping it. And I find what I want to do next when I destroy it. I feel encouraged by doing it.

You retired from your job, so you have no restrictions from now on.

Yes. I can do what I really want to do now. But I have so much that I want to do, and I can’t choose one.