ARTIST INTERVIEW

An exclusive interview with SAORI KANDA, a contemporary artist and dance artist.
"Spiritual art that resonates with the times"
SAORI KANDA Exhibition “Praise of Life - Self Love For World Peace” <Friday, July 5, 2024 - Monday, July 15, 2024>

アメリカ・NYCのNIPPON Galleryで行われた個展「 Self Love For World Peace 」での様子（Photo : Jake Price）

《Self Love For World Peace / SAORI KANDA》2024 （Photo by Woody Little）

《御神器 Sacred Eros “ 生命讃歌 " / SAORI KANDA》2024 （Photo by Yoshiyasu Shimo）

《御神器 Dragon ∞ Goddess Harmony 01 / SAORI KANDA》2024 （Photo by Yoshiyasu Shimo）

A dragon, a symbol of masculinity, and a goddess, a symbol of femininity, love each other and depict a harmonious world in a grand and elegant way. Saori Kanda aims to create "art that delights the soul." What is the reason for her spiritual art?

- How was your solo exhibition in New York last year?

Ever since my solo exhibition in New York was decided, I wanted to sing "Imagine" (during my art performance) in hopes of world peace. It was a humbling experience and took a lot of courage to sing that song in a place like New York. But the dragon inside me was fired up and I was determined to do it.

When I sang with all my heart in front of the finished painting, some people were moved to tears and there was a standing ovation. I was praised for the fusion of art, dance, and song, and the fact that so many people encouraged me to "Go on!" (to continue with my unique expression) was the greatest joy.

At the launch party held at Union Square Cafe (a historic restaurant in New York), I was encouraged by the curator Kyoko Sato and sang Imagine on the spot. All the strangers who were there applauded, and I felt a sense of respect for the living artists, not just the work itself, and real energy, and the strength of human vitality.

アメリカ・NYCのNIPPON Galleryで行われた個展「 Self Love For World Peace 」での様子（Photo : Jake Price）

--And that leads to this "Hymn to Life."

Just when I was preparing to hold my last solo exhibition at YUGEN Gallery, I had a difficult personal experience, which forced me to face the importance of loving myself and the meaning of life more strongly than ever before. Over the past two years, I have carefully regained the confidence I once lost, and by deepening my love for myself without giving up, the love nurtured within will eventually overflow outward, and I have arrived at the true essence of self-love, which is that it is what leads to world peace.

Self-love is often confused with selfishness, which is about only caring for yourself, but in reality it is completely different. Selfishness is about confronting the outside world with the attitude of "I won't let myself lose," and not confronting your inner self. You don't truly love yourself. Self-love is about carefully confronting your inner self and sincerely listening to the voice of your soul.

I think each person needs to deepen their self-love and self-trust and regain the innate abilities they were given at birth. Because we are true to our own lives, we will also be true to the lives of others. We will be able to interact with the outside world in a state of love. I personally feel that world peace and self-love are connected.

《Self Love For World Peace / SAORI KANDA》2024 （Photo by Woody Little）

-- You describe the soul as the "Higher Self."

The soul does not reside in each body, but rather watches over us from a high position, like the moon. If we are bound by our thoughts to what is considered common sense in the world and ignore the things that our soul feels are unpleasant, the connection between the soul and the body weakens without us realizing it, and our vitality, such as motivation and passion, weakens. I think that more and more people are now realizing this and wanting to do something about it.

The body is like an avatar, and the soul continues to send messages like "live with rich emotions." Listen carefully to the voice of the soul that watches over your life and respect it. Cherish the things that make your soul excited. In my case, that is singing, dancing, and painting. I feel very happy to see more and more people starting to express themselves from their souls, just like I do, by releasing the joy of my soul and sharing the overflowing love.

Not just in art, but in any field, everyone has their own soul excitement, abilities, and things to share. I face the canvas with the hope that everyone will remember that it's okay.

-- The motif of the "Dragon and Goddess" is a symbol of living an emotionally rich life. Has there been any change in your expression?

When you catch something in the subconscious realm that cannot be measured by logic alone, but are unable to act on it, the dragon (a symbol of masculinity) is not awakened. Conversely, when you ignore your intuition and feelings and act on someone else's axis, the goddess (a symbol of femininity) is not awakened. Since the harmony of the two is most important in "living true to yourself," this work depicts the inner dragon and goddess respecting and loving each other.

The motif seems to have reached a certain level of perfection, and the expression method has become more playful. He has challenged himself with new materials and depictions, and has not only painted pictures, but also created a song called "Dragon Goddess Harmony" for his solo exhibition at the Okaya Museum of Art and Archaeology in Nagano last summer.

《TITLE / SAORI KANDA》2024 （Photo by Yoshiyasu Shimo）

-- This time, you've created your first three-dimensional piece using ceramics.

Around spring this year, I met the ceramic artists Hirotake Iida and Kaori Kawashima, and we resonated with each other when we talked about living in the joy of the soul. I asked them to make a vase and a large plate out of special white porcelain clay, and I decided to paint the harmony of the dragon and the goddess to create a piece of art.

On the large plate, I painted a picture praising the female genitalia with the hope that women in particular would be proud of their sensual energy and feel grateful for it as something precious, as a message to sacred eros. It was difficult to get used to painting with lapis lazuli and gold leaf, but it's a new challenge that is worthwhile.

《御神器 Sacred Eros “ 生命讃歌 " / SAORI KANDA》2024 （Photo by Yoshiyasu Shimo）

-- You said that it was inspired by sacred treasures. Where did that idea come from?

Last year, I had the chance to touch Jomon pottery during a solo exhibition at the Okaya Museum of Art and Archaeology, and learned that it was possible that they were used in rituals. I imagined the vessels themselves as sacred objects, and that they were at the center of festivals along with dance and song, and the passion to create sacred vessels began to light up within me.

I grew up in Iraq and Dubai, where Arab culture is strong, and the beautiful mosaic art of mosques and the mysterious presence of buildings made of ceramic tiles can be said to be my roots. I have particularly strong memories of the beautiful Blue Mosque, decorated in blue, white, and gold, and in this production I was particular about the choice of soil for the white porcelain and the use of colors such as lapis lazuli and gold.

It's fun to see a piece take shape from a flash of inspiration. I was worried that asking Iida to make a vessel would be a bother when we first met, so I thought too much about it and didn't act, and this piece would never have been born. It was all intuition. The dragon inside me was inspired, and this piece was born. It was like, "Nice! Dragon Goddess Harmony."

《御神器 Dragon ∞ Goddess Harmony 01 / SAORI KANDA》2024 （Photo by Yoshiyasu Shimo）

-- Kanda's themes and style of work seem to be in sync with the atmosphere of the current era.

Even in these two years, the harmony between masculinity and femininity has become a very easy topic to talk about, and I think that even in contemporary art, context-oriented masculinity alone is no longer viable. As MoMA (Museum of Modern Art, New York) will acquire works by female spiritual artists for the first time in November 2023 as a new movement and turning point in the era, I feel that the value of art that touches on spirituality, which values the connection with the soul, will increase.

*Although not mentioned in the interview, this is based on an article in ARTnews dated January 20, 2024 (https://artnewsjapan.com/article/1966).

Saori Kanda's spiritual art is in sync with the times and is beginning to play in harmony. "Life Hymn - Self Love for World Peace" will be held from Friday, July 5th to Monday, July 15th.

ABOUT ARTIST

SAORI KANDA

Contemporary artist. Her work as a "dance artist," a unique ceremony art performer that involves various expressions such as sound, dance, clothing, fragrance, and food to satisfy the five senses, has been recognized as a performing art, and she has been invited to perform in various parts of the world, including China, Europe, the United States, Kazakhstan, and India. In 2020, she started a series of works with the themes of "Goddess Blossoming" and "Liberation of Sacred Eros." Her works incorporate the importance of facing "sex" as a source of life in the view of life and death, and loving oneself again. She has collaborated with many companies, including NISSAN, Canon, and ALFA ROMEO. Her previous solo exhibitions include the Okaya Museum of Art and Archaeology (2023) and NIPPON GALLERY in New York (2023).

To the artist page

ABOUT EXHIBITION

Exhibition

"SEIMEISANKA - Self Love for World Peace"
Saori Kanda Solo Exhibition

Venue

YUGEN Gallery
KD Minami Aoyama Building 4F, 3-1-31 Minamiaoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Dates

July 5th (Friday) – July 15th (Monday), 2024

Opening Hours

Weekdays: 13:00-19:00
Weekends and holidays: 13:00-20:00
*Ends at 17:00 on the final day only

Closed Days

None

Reception Dates

July 5th (Fri) Limited Preview for invited guests only July 6th (Sat) 16:00~ Opening Ceremony "Self Love For World Peace"
*No reservations required

Date of presence

Every day during the exhibition period. *Visitor availability days may change. Please see the pinned post on the gallery’sInstagramfor the latest information

Admission Fee

free

others

※7月5日(金)は招待客のみの限定プレビューとなります。
※7月6日(土)はオープニングセレモニー開始に伴い、16時開場となります。
※状況により、会期・開館時間が予告なく変更となる場合がございますのでご了承下さい。

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