A Fantasy in Black and White

The force of nature can never compete with our efforts of forcing nature. The byproduct and manifestation of my frustrations and egotism seem to devolve into the things I love. This is my life; there is no other side to my coin. I create to live and live to create. It may have some issues with me sympathizing with the woman’s feeling to procreate, or my fanatic egotism trying to be more like god. I make works for myself. I am my biggest fan and most formidable collector. I consider my works “emotional realism,” which in any medium or format presents the same ideology. I would never like to be restricted to one single way of creation.

Rikki Kasso

Rikki Kasso, Inside Out, 2008. Video sequence stills. Courtesy of the artist.

The force of nature can never compete with our efforts of forcing nature. The byproduct and manifestation of my frustrations and egotism seem to devolve into the things I love. This is my life; there is no other side to my coin. I create to live and live to create. It may have some issues with me sympathizing with the woman’s feeling to procreate, or my fanatic egotism trying to be more like god. I make works for myself. I am my biggest fan and most formidable collector.

I consider my works “emotional realism,” which in any medium or format presents the same ideology. I would never like to be restricted to one single way of creation. When faced with the questions of which medium I prefer, I always respond, “Which one of your infant twins do you prefer?” Subjectively they are all the same; objectively they are different.

I find it easy to work here in Tokyo. I compare it to being in an airport with nowhere to go. I can reach an oblivious isolation in the middle of intoxicating chaos that allows me to concentrate and produce. Tokyo is the kind of place that you can live next door to somebody for ten years and not know who it is. It is the three-dimensional Internet that I surf without ever getting bored. Beauty is everywhere; for some people it is just too hard to see sometimes. I try to bridge the gap for those who are confined to a single way of seeing life.

I work a lot in black and white, because to me that is making life into a fantasy by stripping away the colors. The moment still exists and is simplified to the stark contrasts, and everything that falls in between. To me that is the true defining moment. I work often in Japanese sumi ink, which is wood charcoal and water. It is the most unforgiving material. Every breath gets recorded; there is no room for mistakes, and it is slightly uncontrollable. These circumstances make me excited every time. Even in my photos, I could say the same for my models: every breath gets recorded, no room for mistakes, and slightly uncontrollable.