Albert Hofer interviews Masaru Shichinohe for Channel83

1) Unfortunately there is very little material related to your work available to an English-speaking audience. Therefore, could you please briefly summarize for Channel83’s readers the highlights of your career? Also, which kind of material of yours is available for sale, and where?

I was born on February 5, 1959.

I graduated in architecture at Musashino Art University. About two years ago I had an exhibition in the Aoki Art Gallery (Tokyo).

I work mainly on book’s illustrations. My typical works are "Campanella" and "Hako-shounen". These are, in fact, illustrated books.

2) You have chosen to work under the name “Maboroshi” which in Japanese, if I am not wrong, means “phantom”: when did you start using this name, and why?

"Maboroshi Cafe" is only the name of my website.

I thought that it would be a relaxing name for the visitors, who would enter this (virtual) teahouse where my paintings are exhibited.

“Enjoy the images from the fantastic world of Maboroshi, while drinking your favourite drink!”

3) How important is imagination in your daily life?

I dream just a little bit more than those who do not paint.

4) Your paintings seem to portray parallel universes of sort, ‘wonderlands’ similar to the places created by Lewis Carroll for the adventures of his “Alice”. What kind of things manage to inspire your work?

My work is strongly influenced by the novel of a Japanese novelist called Inagaki Taruho (1900~1977). In this novel both men, the moon, the comet, the airplane appear to be things of the same rank.

I am honoured by the fact that you have said that my work resembles the world described Lewis Carroll.

5) Are there any artists who you feel your work could be related to? In particular, some of your paintings remind me of the Italian painter Giorgio De Chirico, are you familiar with his work?

I like De Chirico’s works. However, the connection between my work and his isn’t too strong in this respect. I am particularly interested in classic art. For example, Da Vinci, Filippino, Lippi, Raphael, Hieronymus Bosch.

6) Your paintings display an incredible complexity and a great attention to the details. On average, for how long do you tend to work on the same piece?
How do you organize your work? Do you focus on one painting at the time, or do you tend to work on more artworks contemporarily, depending on your preference and inspiration at a specific moment in time?

I generally take about five days to complete one painting. The following work is not started until the first one has been fully completed.

7) Which kind of paints do you prefer to use for your paintings? I supposed you tended to employed oil paints mainly, but (if my translation from Japanese of the extremely interesting tutorial you have published on your website is correct) it seems that you also use acrylics and airbrushes quite frequently; is that correct?

I always draw a picture using acrylics and thin brushes. The air brush is used only at the end of the process when spraying the varnish over the painting for protection.

8) Your paintings feature the same characters over and over (for example the nurse, the rabbit), as in a story of sort. Would you like to introduce these characters to us? Who are Masaru Shichinohe’s fantasy world’s inhabitants? What is the story behind them? When did you ‘gave birth’ to them?

All those things which appear in my paintings are my favourite things.

I thought of the “Little Nurse” who appears in many of my works because of the illustration on the package of an ancient Japanese ointment which is currently being sold in Japan. I am pretty sure this design evokes a degree of nostalgia for all the Japanese people.

9) In your works there are frequent mentions of various elements connected to games and to an imagery directly related to gaming. The chess board especially recurs in several works of yours, why?

I am not interested in chess as a game. However, I think that a small fantasy world is hidden on the chess board.

10) Similarly, the theatre stage makes several appearances in the background of many of your paintings, is there any specific reason for that, or is yours a merely aesthetic preference?

It is the same as in the answer I just gave above.

11) I am particularly interested in the imagery related to the worlds of medicine which recurs in many of your works (the nurse, the syringe, etc). Again, was the idea of adopting these somehow casual or is there a particular reason influencing this choice?

"Little Nurse" was thought of by chance. However, I always liked the very cold, practical and beautiful figure of medical instruments.

12) Finally, what are you currently working on? Which projects are you interested in pursuing in the near future?

I am currently going through the preparation of a picture-book (the hero of this will be again the little nurse) which will be published by the end of this year; I am also working on a private exhibition scheduled to take place in October.

Masaru Shichinohe
April 2004

All the above material is © Channel 83 2004.
No parts of this interview can be reproduced without the author’s written permission.

Masaru Shichinohe can be contacted at: shichi@qa3.so-net.ne.jp
Maboroshi Café’, Masaru Shichinohe’s own website can be found at:
http://www004.upp.so-net.ne.jp/maboroshi-cafe/index.htm

Albert Hofer can be contacted at: info@channel83.co.uk, or metamorphic@libero.it