Hiroshi Ichikawa - Artist Interview
How would you describe your artistic practice and the themes or ideas you often explore?
My artistic practice is rooted in land art and landscape design, where I explore the relationship between humans and the natural environment. I work with themes such as temporality, natural cycles, and site-specific phenomena, aiming to create works that are modest yet immersive.
What role does nature or the environment play in your creative work?
Nature is both a subject and a collaborator in my work. I carefully read the conditions of each place—its terrain, vegetation, light, and sound—and let them guide the concept and form of the piece. The environment is never just a backdrop; it is always an active presence.
Can you share a moment or experience that has deeply influenced your approach to making art?
While creating a work with fallen leaves in Tokyo, local children began to play and participate in the installation. Through that experience, I strongly realized that even ephemeral materials hold the power to connect people, nature, and community. This experience remains central to my practice today.
What materials or processes are you most drawn to, and why?
Rather than being drawn to specific materials, I am interested in the qualities of the place itself—its site's unique characteristics. By working directly with these elements, I aim to express the relationship between landscape and people.
How do you approach the early stages of a project, research, gathering inspiration, and experimenting?
I begin by observing the site in detail—its terrain, vegetation, movement of light and shadow, sounds, smells, and conversations with people. From there, I experiment and make small trials that gradually take shape into ideas suited for the project.
What does working in a residency setting offer you that’s different from your usual studio practice?
In a residency, I encounter new information, new landscapes, and new forms of communication. Because of the limited time for both creating and living on site, there are perspectives and expressions that emerge precisely within this concentrated period.
What’s one small, unexpected thing that’s been inspiring you lately, something outside of your art practice?
This year, I moved from Tokyo to a small town in the south. The entire town has become a source of inspiration. By changing the scale of the place I live, my daily actions and rhythms have been transformed in profound ways.