NAGA TSUTSUMI

STATEMENT

 

“It was not long ago that music and books became available as digital data.
 

I use iPod and Kindle every day, because they are accessible and convenient. The works in the second series, Possession, are the product of the artist seeking to set aside adult rationality, to paint intuitively and unselfconsciously, “as children do.” But these digital devices don’t have the same excitement as turning the very first page of a printed book, or placing a needle on a record.

Books, music, photographs ... as digitalisation progresses, part of the sensory experience of each book, song and photo is lost. The weight of a book, the smell and texture of its papers, the typeset letters with their specifically selected fonts. The record disc inserted in a paper jacket with its own cover artwork design, the smell of the vinyl, the sound of a needle touching down. Pushing down the play/rec buttons on a cassette player, using the shutter button on a manual camera, dialling an old phone, or tuning into a radio station by turning the knob ... all physical actions that engage our senses to create an “experience".
 

Reading books and listening to music used to be such precious moments for me. So I feel relieved to see people still reading printed books, or listening to music with analogue players.
 

I like that painting is still a physical activity, one that has not been replaced by a 0/1 (binary) format or automated system. Painting is an accumulation of human mistakes toward perfection, showing a history of thinking and decision making, frustrations and joys, all at the same time.”