Questions for Tadaomi Shibuya

Tadaomi Shibuya

Introduce yourself...

My Name is Tadaomi Shibuya. I was born in 1973. My father owns a business that painted advertisements on the wall. Prior to the availability of digital printing, movie posters were hand painted. When I was 4 years old, my parents complimented me on a drawing I had made. I have been drawing ever since.

After graduating college with a degree in product design, I began working as an illustrator/designer/artist.

Describe your art...

My art is influence by my childhood experiences, super robot animation, science fiction, hip hop music and Japanese art.

My art has many straight lines because the straight line is a uniquely human concept. I follow this concept as a basic rule.

I am trying to create a futuristic world that is outside of our atmosphere or universe. I am also implying unfairness in the world and a warning to what the world is facing. At the same time, I am trying to have a message of hope, joy and calmness for the future.

By emphasizing a warm relationship between nature and machine, I am trying to create a future where nature and artificial products are merged in harmony. Products will not be built to become extinct, but made with sustainability in mind.

I also think in the future, people will use an artificial body to sustain their life.

These beliefs form my art work.

1. What are you currently working on?
I am working on solo shows for next year.

2. Why is art important?
I feel the most freedom working on art. Art gives joy and happiness to the people who see it. Seeing people get excited about my art work gives me more joy and power to create something better. I simply love creating art works.

3. What do you think people walk away with after viewing your art?
Toughness, coolness and joy

4. How does your typical day unfold?
Riding my bicycle, listening to music and thinking about someone I dearly love.

5. What was the most significant event in your artistic life?
Two Faced in London

6. What is your favorite medium and why?
Paper and acrylic are my favorite mediums, maybe because I am used to using them.

7. What artist do you admire most?
Fernand Rejer, Gustav Klimt and George Clinton (Funkadelic).

8. What is your dream commission?
I would love to design Bridges!!

9. What are you listening to right now?
Daftpunk

10. What are your future goals in the art world?
I would like to be an art teacher and somehow use my artistic ability to create peace in the world

11. You have worked on many commercial art projects. (Advertising) Do you approach commercial advertising jobs in the same way you approach art for a gallery?
A client's demand is the same as the theme of an art show. I have to do my best work in both. The commercial project will have more viewers and I have to think about how the general audience will react. I feel I have a duty to make art in the image of our ordinary lives. Commercial work is always very important and I do not take it lightly. I also do not have a definitive line between art, design, illustration. They are all the same from a creative point of view.

12. You create many portraits. What interests you in the human face?
I want capture the feeling of music while working on a project.

I realized drum and bass and up-beat music creates passionate feelings, reggae music gives a calm comfortable feeling and pop music creates fun and cute imagery.

I realized I could show a person's feeling through the music they are listening to.

The human face is particularly unique. It shows that person's inner feelings and how they deal with their own life.

I hope my art shows these things.

Questions for Tadaomi Shibuya

Tadaomi Shibuya is represented by digmeout in Japan.