Japanese artist carries on nomad life

Takeshi Hirokawa

By Kim Se-jeong

Takeshi Hirokawa, 36, is among many Japanese whose lives were completely changed after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, one of the country’s worst natural disasters.

Until the beginning of 2013, he was a social worker helping people with intellectual disabilities in Tokyo. Now, he is a woodcut artist in Seoul.

“Many friends of mine were killed by the tsunami, and I lost contact with my parents for about 10 hours. With all that happening, it occurred to me that I should do what I always wanted to do,” the artist said, adding that art and music were his childhood hobbies.

When his employment contract came up for renewal in 2013, he decided not to renew and his nomadic life began. Briefly, he acted in a movie made by one of his friends. His father died in May 2013, and three months later he left Japan for Seoul.

Hirokawa spent his first six months with Korean artist Lee Chul-hee. “I saw some of his works in 2009 at a protest site. I was totally impressed,” he said. “In Japan, art is barely a medium to get social messages across. But, in Korea, it seemed common and that excited me.”

After six months at his mentor’s home, he hopped from one place to another. Six months ago, he got a studio in Mangwon-dong in Mapo District. His studio is tiny and old, and for these reasons, he only pays 200,000 won in rent per month, with a 1 million won deposit.

His woodcuts have social messages, probably influenced by his Korean mentor.

He worked on a big piece after the Sewol ferry disaster. He depicted a hand with a palm up. “When my father passed away, I caressed his face with my hand. I was surprised at how similar his face looked to mine,” he said. “When the Sewol disaster happened, I thought the parents of the student victims would do the same and feel the same.”

One of the most recent works was a T-shirt design for the Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center. He inscribed a song lyric by the American band The Gits in remembrance of Mia Zapata, the band’s singer who was murdered in 1993.

Yet, the artist said he’s not an activist.

“I know people around me who were affected by terrible things, and that’s why I make these pieces. I am not an activist. I create things without any message,” he said, showing a wood cut depicting a woman. “She lived next to me. She’s from China. Earlier this week, she dropped by to say goodbye, saying she’s moving out. So I made the print in remembrance of her.”

The artist is living off his savings. He said he is worried somewhat. “I am so happy that I get to do what I want to do. But it’s true that I am worried about money. But, I know this, and I know I’m not the only one.”