In the studio with…. soh souen
27 July 2021
soh souen was born in 1995 in Fukuoka, Japan and currently works in Kitakyushu, Japan. He graduated at Kyoto Seika University in 2019 and has consistently continued his pursuit for painting in relation to existing within a body or as an entity with the body. Throughout his work he uses his body to paint and focuses on the identities of the body, the self and the other.
As an artist how do you keep up with what is happening in the art world?
Currently, I work in Kitakyushu which is on the west tip of Japan. I rent a studio and work mostly on paintings. I try to visit galleries and museums as much as possible. There is not much regulation in my area, but I refrain from going to other prefectures [councils in Japan] at the moment.
What is your favourite work of art and why?
I am very interested in Modernism. I believe Modernism is rooted in our lives through social life, literature, and painting even today. I am curious especially about a pure self, the individual, also the state of being free, and its limitations and possibilities.
What is your favourite art book?
My favourite books are novels by Hang Kang, who is a Korean novelist [her novel The Vegetarian, 2007, is translated into English]. In her novels, she consistently describes the pain and recovery from being unsettled between social self and existential self. Her work influences my life deeply.
What are you currently on and what inspired you to make this work?
I get inspired by feeling pain and having wounds and conflict from living as an individual and ‘I’ (the self) in this modern world. I believe that to create a work of art is to think about what it means to live as ‘I’ (the self).
What would you like a collector to look at and know about your work?
I hope my work can give them opportunities to feel or to think about something, even just a small thing. My work presents a concept of ideas; it always goes beyond my thoughts and it betrays my expectations. Therefore, there is always a gap between what I think, and the potential and realisation of my work. By hearing feedback, thoughts and opinions about my work, I am able to continue to work and reflect on my projects.