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Sunday, April 29, 2007
Moments in Refuge : Namiko Chan Takahashi Writer : Aaron LeeCreateLeVoyage.com's Aaron Lee interviews visual artist Namiko Chan Takahashi. Having studied in New York under the tutelage of Harvey Dinnerstein, Mary Beth McKenzie and Ronnie Landfield, and working on various mediums, Namiko now focuses on painting portraiture. Her portrait, Charisse, won the UOB Painting of the Year 2006. She worships at Yio Chu Kang Chapel.  Namiko and her award winning work, CharisseNamiko : I had a troubled growing up, searching for direction and feeling lost. Art was a great comfort and refuge for me during those days. I found myself one day at a gospel rally in Ang Mo Kio and was touched by the salvation message. But it wasn't till I was in the first year of University when I realised that I have to completely surrender myself to Christ. My road as a disciple truly started then, and since then in everything, not just my artistic pursuits, it has been a journey of realising the joy and cost of that discipleship. I've surrendered my artistic gifts back to God; before it was an inner need to create art, but now my art has found its true purpose. All the while I have found God to be faithful and gracious in affirming my calling as an artist in so many ways. Aaron :So how do you see your responsiblity and role as a Christian artist? Namiko : I want my art to point the way back to God's nature and character, through imagery or themes addressed in my work. My very first solo show in 2001 was titled My Life in Context With the Will of God - it was a pledge, a statement of artistic and personal intent, if you want to call it that. Aaron : Yes, My Life in Context was an exhibition of abstract works. You've also had training in ceramics, abstract expressionism, and even fresco. Yet you are now focusing on portraiture. Is there any reason for this, and do you see that as your future? Namiko : I've always wanted to develop in the direction of figuration. Even when I was doing other kinds of art, somehow portraying the human figure was a large part of it. In 1998 I went to New York to looked for the right teachers who could teach me. I enrolled at the Art Students' League and I was blessed to have come under the tutelage of the potrait painter Marybeth McKenzie and some others. Marybeth's work is wonderful, have you seen any? She has a couple of self-portraits collected by the Metropolitan Museum. Aaron : Why do you find the human figure to be an interesting subject? Namiko : The human body is such a magnificent celebration of God's creative power! Not only are we His prized children, but when I paint a person I can express a lot through the figure - through her facial expression, her pose... Aaron : What would constitute a captivating pose? Namiko : Something dramatic. A human body has lots of flexibility to be an abstract shape against a background. I love to play with these elements in my painting. I like poses that show something about what's going in that person's mind or life, or which hints at a story. You know how in modern dance, an abstract concept can be expressed through movements? I don't mean just 'acting', but something more than that. Aaron : Yes I think I understand, but why don't you elaborate a little... Namiko : For example, both my next two solo exhibitions will explore this idea further. I will be showing a series of paintings about biblical parables. The portraits will not be illustrations, but will be reinterpretations. For example, there is a painting entitled "The Unmerciful Servant", and the pose is not literal but is meant to protray our limited understanding of God's grace. I have another show which is an entire series of portraits of a dancer. Her poses are meant to allegorise stages of life - waiting, reflecting, interacting, poised for action or even dealing with the conseqences of action. All stuff that happens in each of our own life stories. These stories are what fascinate me. Aaron : I'm looking forward to the exhibitions, when will that be? Namiko : The Dancer show will be in July, and the Parables show in August. Aaron : So you can say that each of your works always contains a message? Namiko : Yes you can broadly say that. Not just an artistic representation of the beauty or dignity of the person that I've portrayed, but even more than that. Generally I want to point people back to our Creator, but in a way that can reach out to ordinary people, especially the pre-believers. When you look at it our fundamental life stories are not dissimilar, and I just want to express truths that apply to all of us. Aaron : What is the greatest challenge you face when creating art? Any that is specific to being an artist and a Christian? Namiko : Well, I've been painting for more than 20 years but still for me there is a certain anxiety or even fear in creating art. It is common to many artists and I'm in two minds as to whether it's healthy, or useful (laughs). There is that fear of starting when I'm facing a blank canvas. It may be a fear of the unknown, as if I'm about to start a journey to who knows where. Once I've started there is the fear of carrying through, a continuing anxiety as to whether I am able to solve the problems along the way. At some point I may also have to overcome the fear of finishing. When do I know when to stop a painting? I'm battling the whole way against my sense of perfectionism. This struggle is not specific to being a Christian. But then again when I think about it further, in some sense this is similar to the struggles of daily living, when we battle against letting God take the wheel, or not being willing to trust that it will turn out all right. Or trusting that even if it doesn't out as expected, there is a reason or a lesson. Accepting failure is very hard for me, personally. I always place an expectation on myself that I am not allowed to fail. (Laughs) Please pray for me!  Himitsu Aaron : I want to ask you a question about two particular paintings. They're both portraits: "Charisse" and "Himitsu". Those paintings were painted at two turning points in your art career. Do they present two different kinds of aesthetic statements? Namiko : "Charisse" was painted while I was in New York. I left some of the drawing lines in the painting,and the judges founded that interesting. To me it signified that even though the painting itself was finished, I was still ready to explore the drawing - life being a work in progress. "Himitsu" was painted last year in support of a UNIFEM charity event. It is a self portrait and the title is a Japanese word that means 'secret'. Here I was epxloring the secret world of the woman's mind, her inner life. "Charisse" is very much an 'out there' sort of piece. The model's strength and beauty are obvious. For "Himitsu", these aspects are by definition hidden and must be discovered and understood, though the strength is still there of course. In terms of the style, "Himitsu" is extremely finished, which again shows my preoccupation with perfection. I must admit that in comparison to "Charisse", it may show a certain reluctance to experiment. I am making up for it in my new works, though! (laugh) Aaron : Well... I hear "Himitsu" was very well received at the event and and was very successfully auctioned by Sotheby's for the fund raising. That's great! Namiko : Praise the Lord for that! Aaron : "Charisse" won the UOB Painting of the Year last year, and the judges described it as a 'truly powerful work'. What was the key message of that piece? Namiko : Well "Charisse" was inspired by the the model herself. She is extremely inspiring - a young African American woman, very strong and witty and self assured. She modelled for my portrait for 30 hours. Such women of substance are my heroes in how they celebrate life and meet its challenges with a beautiful, quiet kind of resolve. Aaron : Thanks very much for this interview. In closing, would you have any advice to give to an aspiring Christian artist? Namiko : Focus on what inspires your heart, mind and spirit. Don't stop being fascinated by things. Rejoice continually at every new thing that God shows you, whether big or small. Art can come from those moments. Making art can be lonely, so you should also fellowship and dialogue with other Christian artists. Don't be shy to start your work! This is what I am trying to do more of, myself. You can see more of Namiko's work at http://www.namikochan.com/
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