Dasaku no naka ni ore dake ga iru (2012) - full transcript
Still lots to sort out.
Very patchy…
Beijing, 2009
Its not worth filming!
We all have upset stomachs
so it's rice porridge with egg.
I'm making breakfast for the boozers
on the 2nd floor of the gallery.
I'm Aida's wife.
I'm also an artist, so I use my maiden name.
Alcohol tends to linger...
It's still in my system.
Atsushi is a young artist
who has come to help Aida.
I drank too much and threwe up.
This gallery we're staying at
has bedrmmms and a kitchen
We're here with our son Torajiro, now on
summer holiday from elementary school.
It's broken. Don't do that!
Come down, you're in the way.
Come down!
A brush could ruin the painting.
Then it would be hard to fix.
Do it again, and I'll drag you down!
You can't do that.
Yes, I can.
Stop it. It's dangerous!
Kiss me, please...
Your teachers told you not to do that, right?
It's very boring work,
but could you fill in the gaps?
I should work on this one.
Aida's here in the Beijing suburbs
to produce his huge paintings.
He can't do it at ateliers in Japan.
He started working in earnest on a piece
he's been brooding over for four years.
The motif is a mountain
of businessmen's corpses.
It should be bigger than that guy.
How many bodies is he going
to paint on that huge canvas?
At a glance...
Don't know... Maybe about 1,000...
I paint proper bodies on top,
and scatter parts like legs and shoes
in the background to fill it up.
I also have to do a lot on that
'Picture of Waterfall'.
December here, too.
Its not too big...
Good.
I should be adding leaves...
That part looks boring. There...
I'll add some leaves here and there.
My honest feeling is that it
doesn't have to be a work of art.
However you look at it,
it's an illustration.
Canvases this size can only be
displayed at museums or galleries.
So in that sense it's a work of art
Apart from that,
it s basically an illustration.
What's wrong with illustrations?
I'm defiant about it!
But now I've decided to regard
it as an illustration,
I must complete it as an illustration of the highest quality.
Unexpectedly, I seem to have
raised the hurdle higher myself
The thing is, illustrators, manga artists,
and those who paint anime backgrounds
are far more skilled at producing
realistic and attractive pictures
than those who produce "Art".
To be honest, I feel piracy is OK.
Besides legal considerations,
stealing ideas is basically no problem.
Although I said that manga artists
and illustrators are great,
I wouln't move into that area.
I'm just double-tongued
Aida is kind of unique
as a contemporary artist.
He majored in oil painting but his
means of expression range widely.
He tends to use motifs that
could be described as perverted.
The media call him 'a dangerous artist'
who should be treated with caution.'
As a matter of fact, his works are
not always welcomed by museums.
Aida's friend from his
hometown of Niigata has come.
They went to the same school
till their late teens.
Hiroki's a sculptor and
a high school art teacher.
Glasses on?
Yes, better with glasses.
He's not here to work, but...
Oh，that looks tragic!
You look like Christ.
Thats the basic type of dead body.
Like this?
This is hard work!
Yes, I will do it...
Once I've decided to do it,
I'll keep painting it
right up to the end.
We were never in the same class.
I knew someone in the next
classroom was good at drawing.
Even at elementary school,
he was better than anyone else.
He was super.
But he's always been eccentric.
A normal elementary boy
lifting up a girl's skirt
wouldn't sprawl out and drag
himself close to her legs, right?
But Aida would simply
follow his instincts.
He would instantly do
whatever came into his mind
Normal people would stop
thinking it was wrong.
He lacks that kind of circuit!
But he never harms anyone.
His actions end within himself.
Do you want 90 individual prints?
No, 3 times 3...9 on one sheet
Like we did before.
Ah, it goes on day after day...
I've been thinking a lot
about businessmen's suits.
I tend to produce works
using simple symbols.
One example is schoolgirls' sailor-style uniforms.
None of my works intended to upset
businessmen are masterpieces.
I've done some joke works
with black humor.
But I've been mulling over the idea
of using businessmen as a serious theme.
Constant repetition of the same
motif filling the field of view
has the effect of making
viewers feel a bit dizzy.
That's one of the surefire
traditional painting techniques.
But actually I don't have much patience.
I'd be 9th or 10th of 10 people.
I'm one of the top artists in terms
of taking frequent cigarette breaks.
I suffered from ADHD, so I couldn't
do repetitive activities.
I easily get bored.
You're in good spirits.
The summer vacation is coming to an end.
It's time for Torajiro and me
to return to Japan.
For the next four months,
Aida will be staying in Beijing.
It will be a long good-bye.
We are feeling a bit awkard
in front of the camera.
We made love a lot last night.
No, we didn't.
Mr. Mizuma's coming soon.
Lets go for a pee.
It's the same in Japan...
Without my wife and son,
I can get more work done...
or slow down instead!
Anyway, whatever...
I'll do it...but I have a long way to go.
I think that part's too small.
Well...excuse me...
I will do it, though.
He keeps saying he isn't making
much progress because of the alcohol.
But tonight he's going out drinking again...
He talks rubbish about wishing his
liver could be changed like a battery.
Do you remember what you said
the first time we met?
The Chinese girls have armpit hair
and it's cute...something like that?
Yes, in March last year...
He's so rude, isn't he?
How old are you，Atsushi?
How old are you，Atsushi? 30?
Oil painters have no marketable skills.
Even if you take a master's
or a doctoral course,
you're not guaranteed to
become an artist or a professor.
You might end up as a
convenience store cashier,
with the same conditions as
a part-time high school graduate.
Life's miserable if you
can't be an artist.
Skin or swi,...
It s the world of all or nothing.
I heard you aren't touching
the huge canvas these days.
Well, I sometimes work on it.
Are you lacking motivation?
No, that's not true.
I'm going for a pee.
Soon after returning to Janpn,
I start working at the gallery's atelier.
Every day is taken up preparing
for the exhibition.
Torajiro comes with me when
he's on holiday from school.
I'm producing a work using video images.
Torajiro's good at video
equipment and helps me.
Doesn't look good.
We've got all these TVs.
All we get is this image.
Well have to find more TVs...
What about that one?
Can you connect this?
It's sometimes stressful
continuing my work as an artist
while being Aida's wife.
He's an artist full of individuality.
As I search for themes, I'm always
groping for my own kind of expression.
sufficient to be on equal terms with him.
If your partner has a strong personality,
it's easy to lose your own identity
as an artist.
I had known Aida for a long time
In connection with the gallery,
but our relationship developed in New York.
When we were in New York,
we were both going out with other people.
It's embarrassing to remember!
All sorts of things went on.
We had a baby...
I think I was lucky to be
supported by Aida.
Stop it!
Don't film any more!
Shut down!
We moved from Chiba to this apartment
in Yokohama last year
so that Torajiro could change schools.
Wash your hands in there.
How was school today?
It was good.
Did you feel alright at school?
I'm so happy.
Looks like you had a good time today.
After getting home from school,
Torajiro doesn't play with other kids.
He gets absorbed in his own world
in front of the computer.
I almost shut myself away last year,
because I was so introverted
and worried about raising a child.
It's good to have someone
like Aida around for Torajiro...
He was a problem kid himself, so he can
deal with him in a broad-minded way.
Aida himself is basically full of worries.
In a way, I was worse than Torajiro.
But I just remained as a
problem child in an ordinary class.
There was no special class to keep
me away from the other children.
Torajiro and I suffer from a
different type of the same disease.
I think my condition was worse.
But all that was in the past.
I don't feel my boyhood was unhappy.
Torajiro is crazy about computers,
but he doesn't really have
a good command of them yet.
He likes physics, Newton, and so on.
He may look childish to scientists,
trying to do what's beyond his ability...
But I hope he finds something
to truly motivate him...
What I am now
is the result of my aims and efforts
at junior high and high school
When I was still in puberty.
At the end of December,
Aida returns to Tokyo.
In the new year, he'll be exhibiting
his work at an exhibition in Osaka.
He wants to give some final touches
to 'Picture of Waterfall'.
A high school boy saw us
filming and wondered who I was.
He looked away when he realized
it was a dirty middle-aged man,
not a celebrity!
He probably thought it was a
documentary on jobless man.
Well, he was right.
That's what it looks like.
May I sit here?
I've left the work I hate
doing most till last.
So I really feel reluctant to work...
I was in good spirits in China,
changing colors a lot...
...or drawing the final leaves and
correcting the sloppy bits of water.
I'm not sure if this is effective...
It's terrible to think I've been
working on this for 3 or 4 years.
I lost interest after painting
most of the girls.
I really wanted to stop after doing that.
But I couldn't escape
from drawing the leaves
because the original image
that popped up in my mind
was like that commercial for
‘Minami-Alps Naturall Mineral Water'.
The more leaves I paint, the more
I realize I dislike leaves.
This is a good example of
spending years to finish a work.
You forget your initial motivation.
I should've finished it
in two years at most.
'Picture of Waterfall' is nearly
completed every time it's exhibited.
But time always runs out. This time
he really seems to be suffering.
Time to get up!
Torajiro, wake up!
Good morning.
Finish this up...
I'll have it.
Is this it?
We're going to Kujukurihama
in Chiba for the New Year.
Our destination is the house
where we lived till last year.
Kujukurihama, Chiba
We bought this house and
prefab warehduse four years ago.
Look, it's the door that disappeared!
We had to replace it with a wooden
door in the house, then that went...
But who brought it back, and when?
I put some oil on it last time.
How is it? Does it smell moldy?
Not so bad.
We sometimes come here to work.
But it's a total mess.
because we leave it as it is
as soon as we finish our work.
Its an awful property.
We can remove the moldy smell with this spray.
How much is it?
13,789 yen, please.
Now you can use the gas.
I thought we paid by direct debit?
It's supposed to be, but it wasn't.
It'll be paid automatically from next time.
A house is relaxing.
I'm kind of relieved knowing it'll
function if we clean it up a bit.
Hiroko, you may not like this,
but can I do it in my style?
Let's open some noodle sauce.
Oh, you've done it that way.
Do it like this.
Is it baked alright?
No，it isn't. Sorry.
This seems okay to me.
If it isn't baked properly,
don't you get stomachache?
No, you don't.
Working as a contemporary artist
in Japan is very hard.
To establish yourself as an artist,
you must find your own style.
Aida's style is rather humorous,
but it always contains stinging satire.
The power of the sting caries.
But I didn't expect to be stung.
He couldn't find a young model
in time for an art magazine deadline.
So he asked his wife to be a nude model.
What an idea! But as an artist,
I accepted his favor in my birthday suit.
My shape was heavily processed
to make me look like a 14-year-old.
I only like skilled artists.
It's true.
You only liked the skills of my willie.
That isn't true.
However good a guy's willie is,
if you think he lacks talentt,
it's hard to associate with him.
It's so stressful if you have to be
careful talking to yourpartner,
or you can only communicate
by bottling up your feelings,
even if you think you're better than
him or your ideas are more interesting.
But I can associate with him on
an equal footing and leam from him.
At any rate, he's more professional
since his 'War Picture Returns' series.
I think what he wants to do
in the art world became clearer
through the points he presented
in that series.
I didn't have much time left
till the exhibition.
All I could do was to use the
awfully artificial technique
of painting in oil that's used
at prep schools for art universities.
A technique that's easy-peasy
but produces a heavy look
seemed perfect for a project reviving
old war pictures artificially,
despite the fact we haven't
experienced war.
I expect anyone related to oil painting
at art schools was shocked.
That's the evil past that
everyone has locked away,
including my classmates.
There's a technique only used
for entrance exams. I used it too.
Bring it out and using it for
his own benefit was really interesting.
I'm out attached to any
particular painting technique.
I'm a conceptual artist,
but l'm not fussy about technique.
I choose one casually
depending on the situation.
That kind of attitude would normally
prevent you from becoming an artist.
I know it's a thorny, but as
long as I work hard on the concept,
it will come out alright even with
my kind of attitude toward technique.
That's how I plan things
and how I've managed up to now.
On New Year's Eve, some
young artists visit us in Chiba.
It's an annual custom.
This is the 109 Building in Shibuya
that I've reconstructed.
Looks like it, eh?
Two buildings side by side.
It's a twin 109 Building!
We see a lot like this at exhibitions.
Shall we enter his work
using some European name?
Just make up a story
that he's a graduate
from a famous architecture
department or something...
In a few seconds, itll be 2010.
5, 4,
5, 4, 3,
5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0. Whee!
Happy New Year!
Its 2010!
Hiroko, shall we go?
Torajiro's fine.
Torajiro, here's the fire.
I don't think well see the actual sunrise.
Is it only the Japanese who want to
see the sunrise on New Years Day?
It's like the movie
'Close Encounters of the Third Kind.'
I bet foreigners think we're weird!
Perhaps foreigners don't care
about the first sunrise.
They join in the countdown
at a party, and maybe that's it.
Oh, here it comes!
Wish, wish, what was my wish?
The very start of this year.
I'm glad we could see the sunrise.
It looks so heavenly, I think
my wish will come true.
It's only an illusion.
My wish is to be associated more
with the local junior high school girls.
It would be horrifying
if that came true.
It's sublimely beautiful
through the wisps of cloud.
Torajiro, shall we go?
Did you make a wish?
What did you wish for?
Do you want to tell me?
No? OK, then.
The National Museum of Art, Osaka
Preparations have started at
the National Museum of Art in Osaka.
Many young artists are participating.
Aida is now regarded as a veteran,
but he's the only one
who hasn't sompleted his work.
He has to continue painting
'Picture of Waterfall' at the venue.
Something strange...
This is the angle of the canvas.
The lower part gets more light.
The height of the lights
is lower than he'd expected,
so the painting looks very different.
What is it?
It's unstable.
Hmm, I don't know.
The rocks around here are shing,
and that's not really what I want.
In China, the highest parts were shining.
I thought that was heavenly
when I was painting.
I shouldn't use gold halfheartedly...
The height of the lights can't be changed.
He has no choice but to keep on working.
It's not so bad.
Oh dear, I don't know any more...
Should I really keep adjusting
the color according to the lighting?
Well, that's what I was doing in China.
I'm just going around in circles.
When will it be completed?
It's impossible at this exhibition.
But I'll try to keep working on it,
so that it looks finished
when viewed from a distance.
There are still many messy
parts if you look closely.
I thought you were adding something,
but you're working on the details.
You still have lots to do?
Yes, but I don't think the overall
impression will change much.
If that looked sharper,
it might be a little better...
Yes, on the whole, if that looked sharper..
Shall I do it?
That looks unrefined.
It's too much...
Now I know that, I'll do it,
but it's a lot of trouble.
Yes, I'll do it, but wait a moment...
Mr. Mizuma, the owner of the gallery
we belong to, has turned up.
I heard you haven't finished it.
Viewed from five meters away, it is.
So when are you going to complete it?
Strictly speaking, that's still far away...
But in a way it's already completed.
The impression you get
from it won't be much different.
If they want to buy it, will you
include the condition
that I can keep working
on it in the future?
Please arrange it in a reasonable manner.
Let's do that.
The curtain rises on an exhibition
including 'Picture of Waterfall'
left unfinished yet again.
Cheers!
Visitors have no idea that
the painting is incomplete.
It's only the painter himself who
knows the goal for completion.
A collector of Aida's works
gave us a lot of oden,
vegetables and fish cakes
cooked in fish broth,
so we invited some young artists
to share it with us.
Isn't it hard to keep facing the
same painting? Don't you get fonfused?
It's hard...
To answer your question, yes, it's hard.
What? It isn't completed yet?
I'm hopeless...
But it isn't only 'Picture of Waterfall'
that's incomplete.
Dammit!
January 20, 2010
Aida returns to Beijing in mid-winter.
I'll be in trouble if I don't speed up.
I don't have many days left.
Short of time...
It's a month since Aida was
last at the gallery in Beijing.
Oh, what do I do?
Cut off the security system... Good.
Soy sauce...
Citrus-based soy sauce...
Why am I checking my foodstuff
rather than my work"?
Ah, right. Yes, I'll work on it.
Hmm，I see.
Viewed close, I see.
It's basically not so bad.
Time for bed.
I'm gradually getting the idea of
how to speed things up.
The problem is nobody can help me.
I'll have to do it all myself.
But that's only natural.
Who is it ?
Hello, Aida here.
I started working on the businessmen.
Unless I finish it in time
for the exhibition in May,
my future as an artist
will be under threat.
Yes, thank you very much.
It's bound to fail.
I hate cleaning. Even if you clean,
it'll definitely get dirty again!
Oh, it's filthy!
During the spring holiday,
Torajiro and I are staying in Chiba
waiting for Aida's return.
Mothers and teachers exchange
diaries about the kids.
I have lots of them.
This one is from when
he was at nursery school.
I wrote it every day, including breakfast details.
Dinner, too...
"Rice mixed with baby sardines, tofu, salad,
seaweed soup, pork cutlet."
It's all so nostalgic!
Reading the diaries from the past
reminds me of the time up till last year
when we changed Torajiros school.
His teacher often spoke ill of me,
and it became a vicious circle.
I heated that. Once he told me
to raise my child seriously.
It's a big shock to hear
that kind of comment.
I wondered why he had to say that,
even though I know Torajiro
is nott very cooperative and
sometimes has a bad attitude.
We were both criticized constantly
that caused him some trauma.
Torajiro thinks he's in a minority
because he's a little strange,
and hes developed a complex about it.
He's just a kid, but he dosen't
like other kids these days.
When he goes to park
where lots of kids are playing,
I can sense him withdrawing into himself.
His face shows he doesn't like being there.
But when he goes to the park
in the evening, he looks so happy.
Torajiro's school life
wasn't successful,
so his memories of life in Chiba
may not be very happy ones.
But he seems to like this beach.
Oh, it feels good!
Will he bring back any souvenirs?
No, I don't think so.
There he，is!
Welcome back!
Aren't you going to hug him?
No, because we're Japanese!
Stop it! You're disturbing them.
I'm the main character,
so even if you're flmed a lot,
you'll be edired out
unless you stay close to me!
I want a performance facing the guests
in three directions.
Aida has decided to produce
a video work for the exhibition.
It'll be full of eroticism and humor,
which is what his art's all about
"The wider you open your pussy,
the better it gets."
Hmm, what can we do?
Perhaps something like this...
"The more you touch your pussy,
the better it gets."
We want something like
sharp twitching here.
"The more your pussy is licked..."
Suppose this is a pussy,
then a man's tongue is this big...
I'm sorry about this!
Can you move more in three dimensions?
So, let's start.
I'll do 'A Good Pussy'.
"First, what is a good pussy?"
"The wider you open your pussy,
the better it gets."
"Fourth, what is a good pussy?"
"The happier you get,
the better your pussy gets."
"Ninth, what is a good pussy?"
"The harder you rub your pussy,
the better your pussy gets."
Good, good!
The problem is wheher this
is really art or not.
I wonder if I should add some
musical accompaniment,
or is this chilly impression
more conceptual art-like?
You can be more low-key
for "if it's broken".
"If it's broken" means losing your
virginity，so you can be more low-key...
Rather than being interesting like sex,
this is a traditional performing art.
Mizuma Art Gallery [ Ichigaya, Tokyo ]
The painting of businessmen
has arrived from China.
Aida worked on it in Beijing till
the last minute at the end of March.
However, he couldn't complete it.
Higher would be better.
Maybe up to the height of that edge.
The ceiling's high, so it's good.
Let's go with this.
I was wondering last summer
what would happen... really.
I must do something around here first.
Unless I sor it out, it won't work
as if it's covered with mist.
If I don't get a nice gradation here,
the balance of the whole
painting will be bad...
I want to work on the details
but I must try this part first.
Ah.
I call it ADHD. I don't know
the proper name of the disease.
I have a personality problem.
I was one of those people
with a dark future
who generally aren't
any use in society...
But after learning the keyword 'Art'，
I realized I could remain totally as I am...
If you want to become a businessman,
you have to change your personality
to go along with society.
But an artist doesn't have to change.
In a way, I was bom to be an artist.
That may sound like bragging, bu I
realized that when I was about 16.
Torajiro and I are going tot see the paintings
Aida's been working on for nine months.
He's staying at the gallary
on his own to continue painting.
Look, Tora... You don't care?
Papa may be dead.
He's just ignoring us!
You can't cheat him any more!
This isn't a painting.
I should use more little tricks,
but I don't have any time left.
It's like a picture of hell, but with a
light touch that makes you smile a bit.
That delicate balance is interesting.
Tora, I think this part
needs some orange,
orange like this or this one.
And if that's added, I reckon
this painting will be finished.
It looks like mustard and ketchup.
Here we go. It may fail. lt often does.
From here, down, like this.
Tora, can you see?
It says one and one equals two.
See? One plus one equals two.
Ah, yes, it does.
My paintings are simple.
I paint to please kids.
Do you?
These simple colors present the colorful
image of educational materials for children.
Which one do you like most?
Papa's works aren't usually rough like this.
He normally paints detailed things like this.
But this one is so rough,
and not painted wit a brush.
That one's done with brushes and pencils.
It looks very good.
I'll do it, but wait a moment...
I don't want to do it again...no more.
Thats certainly how I feel.
You're working.
Yes, I am. You know what, Ttora?
Tomorrow's the first day of my exhibition.
I think this is good enough.
No, it's a long way from being finished.
Really?
What do you think will happen
when it's finished?
I don't know.
Everyone will be moved to tears.
But you may not see anyone crying
tomorrow because it isn't finished yet.
That's frustrating.
If it was completed, someone
might die of a heart attack.
In that case, maybe i's good
that it isn't finished.
Tora, did you understand what art is
when I painted orange on that one?
You don't like painting at school, right?
No.
But you can paint in any way you like.
I don't understand.
If you want to put orange here
you do it-that's all.
Right now I'm wondering
where to put this purplish color...
I think it's here, but I don't
have any particular reason.
I just feel it's maybe around here.
It looks like the top's finished.
No, it hasn't reached the final phase yet.
That takes a hell of a time.
Opening Day for 'E-BAKA'
May 6, 2010
I'm egoistic, I wantt to
be under the spotlight.
I'm happy to be praised and get mad
if I'm sharply criticized.
I'm just one of those people
who express themselves.
I believe Art is par of
the service industry,
stimulating a kind of pleasure
in those who see it.
So once I've decided to do this work,
I must serve the public.
I's a mystery even to me
why I drive myself into a situation
where I have o fight against
my lack of perseverance.
My video work over there
is titled 'A Good Pussy'.
It's a performance art
based on 'A Good Willie,'
dating from those shameful times when
the atmosphere at Japanese art colleges
was stupid and macho,
and brains were built of muscle.
Until about 20 years ago,
when I was a university student,
it was a common performing art
freshmen had to watch
at the welcome party,
but it faded away.
Possible reasons could be that campuses
are filled with female students today
or that stylish and feminine art
is preferred, or something like that.
If that's the case, I though I
should reproduce the art of 'A Good Pussy'
to satisfy the new age.
However, I'd now like you to watch
an orthodox traditional, genuine
version of 'A Good Willie.'
Yuji SASAKI
We'll get down, OK?
Only for this, filming is permitted!
To celebrate the opening
of Aida's exhibition,
I will now perform the orthodix
'A Good Willie'. Here we go...
"A good, good willie."
"First, what is a good willie?"
"The more a willie is ttwisted,
the better it gets."
"Second, what is a good willie?"
The more a willie is shaken,
the better it gets."
"Sixth, what is a good willie?"
"The more a willie is peeled,
the better it gets."
Thank you very much.
Mr. Sasaki is my teacher.
Ah, at Ochabi... He's a good teacher.
It was interesting.
Your sailor uniform is a very
classic design, isn't it?
I thought you were doing cosplay!
I want to study oil painting where you did.
What do you think?
Nothing s good about Tokyo University of the Arts.
I think I could have studied anywhere.
What might you have
studied other than oil?
I think I could have chosen
Japanese-style painting.
I thought that after I entered.
But the result would have been the same!
Lost your desire to go to an art university?
Tonight, Aida is in full throttle.
It's been unusually successful
for an exhibition of contemporary art.
But Aida's evening is
a long way from finished yet...
Lets go, everyone!
What does your daughter do now?
She's a university student.
Which department?
Expressive Arts.
Art?
No, it's Subculture.
He's already pretty mellow.
Looks like he won't be
coming home till morning.
Rock bands like GLAY get an
audience of around 30,000, right?
If 30,000 people visited Mizuma,
the floor would collapse!
You say "success," but it's only
100 visitors at most. That's it.
You know all about that
of thing, don't you?
It's the so-called subculture, you know.
It's on green...Do you want to cross?
Shall we?
Dammit! I'll cut some comers next time!
The Ash Color Mountain
Very patchy…
Beijing, 2009
Its not worth filming!
We all have upset stomachs
so it's rice porridge with egg.
I'm making breakfast for the boozers
on the 2nd floor of the gallery.
I'm Aida's wife.
I'm also an artist, so I use my maiden name.
Alcohol tends to linger...
It's still in my system.
Atsushi is a young artist
who has come to help Aida.
I drank too much and threwe up.
This gallery we're staying at
has bedrmmms and a kitchen
We're here with our son Torajiro, now on
summer holiday from elementary school.
It's broken. Don't do that!
Come down, you're in the way.
Come down!
A brush could ruin the painting.
Then it would be hard to fix.
Do it again, and I'll drag you down!
You can't do that.
Yes, I can.
Stop it. It's dangerous!
Kiss me, please...
Your teachers told you not to do that, right?
It's very boring work,
but could you fill in the gaps?
I should work on this one.
Aida's here in the Beijing suburbs
to produce his huge paintings.
He can't do it at ateliers in Japan.
He started working in earnest on a piece
he's been brooding over for four years.
The motif is a mountain
of businessmen's corpses.
It should be bigger than that guy.
How many bodies is he going
to paint on that huge canvas?
At a glance...
Don't know... Maybe about 1,000...
I paint proper bodies on top,
and scatter parts like legs and shoes
in the background to fill it up.
I also have to do a lot on that
'Picture of Waterfall'.
December here, too.
Its not too big...
Good.
I should be adding leaves...
That part looks boring. There...
I'll add some leaves here and there.
My honest feeling is that it
doesn't have to be a work of art.
However you look at it,
it's an illustration.
Canvases this size can only be
displayed at museums or galleries.
So in that sense it's a work of art
Apart from that,
it s basically an illustration.
What's wrong with illustrations?
I'm defiant about it!
But now I've decided to regard
it as an illustration,
I must complete it as an illustration of the highest quality.
Unexpectedly, I seem to have
raised the hurdle higher myself
The thing is, illustrators, manga artists,
and those who paint anime backgrounds
are far more skilled at producing
realistic and attractive pictures
than those who produce "Art".
To be honest, I feel piracy is OK.
Besides legal considerations,
stealing ideas is basically no problem.
Although I said that manga artists
and illustrators are great,
I wouln't move into that area.
I'm just double-tongued
Aida is kind of unique
as a contemporary artist.
He majored in oil painting but his
means of expression range widely.
He tends to use motifs that
could be described as perverted.
The media call him 'a dangerous artist'
who should be treated with caution.'
As a matter of fact, his works are
not always welcomed by museums.
Aida's friend from his
hometown of Niigata has come.
They went to the same school
till their late teens.
Hiroki's a sculptor and
a high school art teacher.
Glasses on?
Yes, better with glasses.
He's not here to work, but...
Oh，that looks tragic!
You look like Christ.
Thats the basic type of dead body.
Like this?
This is hard work!
Yes, I will do it...
Once I've decided to do it,
I'll keep painting it
right up to the end.
We were never in the same class.
I knew someone in the next
classroom was good at drawing.
Even at elementary school,
he was better than anyone else.
He was super.
But he's always been eccentric.
A normal elementary boy
lifting up a girl's skirt
wouldn't sprawl out and drag
himself close to her legs, right?
But Aida would simply
follow his instincts.
He would instantly do
whatever came into his mind
Normal people would stop
thinking it was wrong.
He lacks that kind of circuit!
But he never harms anyone.
His actions end within himself.
Do you want 90 individual prints?
No, 3 times 3...9 on one sheet
Like we did before.
Ah, it goes on day after day...
I've been thinking a lot
about businessmen's suits.
I tend to produce works
using simple symbols.
One example is schoolgirls' sailor-style uniforms.
None of my works intended to upset
businessmen are masterpieces.
I've done some joke works
with black humor.
But I've been mulling over the idea
of using businessmen as a serious theme.
Constant repetition of the same
motif filling the field of view
has the effect of making
viewers feel a bit dizzy.
That's one of the surefire
traditional painting techniques.
But actually I don't have much patience.
I'd be 9th or 10th of 10 people.
I'm one of the top artists in terms
of taking frequent cigarette breaks.
I suffered from ADHD, so I couldn't
do repetitive activities.
I easily get bored.
You're in good spirits.
The summer vacation is coming to an end.
It's time for Torajiro and me
to return to Japan.
For the next four months,
Aida will be staying in Beijing.
It will be a long good-bye.
We are feeling a bit awkard
in front of the camera.
We made love a lot last night.
No, we didn't.
Mr. Mizuma's coming soon.
Lets go for a pee.
It's the same in Japan...
Without my wife and son,
I can get more work done...
or slow down instead!
Anyway, whatever...
I'll do it...but I have a long way to go.
I think that part's too small.
Well...excuse me...
I will do it, though.
He keeps saying he isn't making
much progress because of the alcohol.
But tonight he's going out drinking again...
He talks rubbish about wishing his
liver could be changed like a battery.
Do you remember what you said
the first time we met?
The Chinese girls have armpit hair
and it's cute...something like that?
Yes, in March last year...
He's so rude, isn't he?
How old are you，Atsushi?
How old are you，Atsushi? 30?
Oil painters have no marketable skills.
Even if you take a master's
or a doctoral course,
you're not guaranteed to
become an artist or a professor.
You might end up as a
convenience store cashier,
with the same conditions as
a part-time high school graduate.
Life's miserable if you
can't be an artist.
Skin or swi,...
It s the world of all or nothing.
I heard you aren't touching
the huge canvas these days.
Well, I sometimes work on it.
Are you lacking motivation?
No, that's not true.
I'm going for a pee.
Soon after returning to Janpn,
I start working at the gallery's atelier.
Every day is taken up preparing
for the exhibition.
Torajiro comes with me when
he's on holiday from school.
I'm producing a work using video images.
Torajiro's good at video
equipment and helps me.
Doesn't look good.
We've got all these TVs.
All we get is this image.
Well have to find more TVs...
What about that one?
Can you connect this?
It's sometimes stressful
continuing my work as an artist
while being Aida's wife.
He's an artist full of individuality.
As I search for themes, I'm always
groping for my own kind of expression.
sufficient to be on equal terms with him.
If your partner has a strong personality,
it's easy to lose your own identity
as an artist.
I had known Aida for a long time
In connection with the gallery,
but our relationship developed in New York.
When we were in New York,
we were both going out with other people.
It's embarrassing to remember!
All sorts of things went on.
We had a baby...
I think I was lucky to be
supported by Aida.
Stop it!
Don't film any more!
Shut down!
We moved from Chiba to this apartment
in Yokohama last year
so that Torajiro could change schools.
Wash your hands in there.
How was school today?
It was good.
Did you feel alright at school?
I'm so happy.
Looks like you had a good time today.
After getting home from school,
Torajiro doesn't play with other kids.
He gets absorbed in his own world
in front of the computer.
I almost shut myself away last year,
because I was so introverted
and worried about raising a child.
It's good to have someone
like Aida around for Torajiro...
He was a problem kid himself, so he can
deal with him in a broad-minded way.
Aida himself is basically full of worries.
In a way, I was worse than Torajiro.
But I just remained as a
problem child in an ordinary class.
There was no special class to keep
me away from the other children.
Torajiro and I suffer from a
different type of the same disease.
I think my condition was worse.
But all that was in the past.
I don't feel my boyhood was unhappy.
Torajiro is crazy about computers,
but he doesn't really have
a good command of them yet.
He likes physics, Newton, and so on.
He may look childish to scientists,
trying to do what's beyond his ability...
But I hope he finds something
to truly motivate him...
What I am now
is the result of my aims and efforts
at junior high and high school
When I was still in puberty.
At the end of December,
Aida returns to Tokyo.
In the new year, he'll be exhibiting
his work at an exhibition in Osaka.
He wants to give some final touches
to 'Picture of Waterfall'.
A high school boy saw us
filming and wondered who I was.
He looked away when he realized
it was a dirty middle-aged man,
not a celebrity!
He probably thought it was a
documentary on jobless man.
Well, he was right.
That's what it looks like.
May I sit here?
I've left the work I hate
doing most till last.
So I really feel reluctant to work...
I was in good spirits in China,
changing colors a lot...
...or drawing the final leaves and
correcting the sloppy bits of water.
I'm not sure if this is effective...
It's terrible to think I've been
working on this for 3 or 4 years.
I lost interest after painting
most of the girls.
I really wanted to stop after doing that.
But I couldn't escape
from drawing the leaves
because the original image
that popped up in my mind
was like that commercial for
‘Minami-Alps Naturall Mineral Water'.
The more leaves I paint, the more
I realize I dislike leaves.
This is a good example of
spending years to finish a work.
You forget your initial motivation.
I should've finished it
in two years at most.
'Picture of Waterfall' is nearly
completed every time it's exhibited.
But time always runs out. This time
he really seems to be suffering.
Time to get up!
Torajiro, wake up!
Good morning.
Finish this up...
I'll have it.
Is this it?
We're going to Kujukurihama
in Chiba for the New Year.
Our destination is the house
where we lived till last year.
Kujukurihama, Chiba
We bought this house and
prefab warehduse four years ago.
Look, it's the door that disappeared!
We had to replace it with a wooden
door in the house, then that went...
But who brought it back, and when?
I put some oil on it last time.
How is it? Does it smell moldy?
Not so bad.
We sometimes come here to work.
But it's a total mess.
because we leave it as it is
as soon as we finish our work.
Its an awful property.
We can remove the moldy smell with this spray.
How much is it?
13,789 yen, please.
Now you can use the gas.
I thought we paid by direct debit?
It's supposed to be, but it wasn't.
It'll be paid automatically from next time.
A house is relaxing.
I'm kind of relieved knowing it'll
function if we clean it up a bit.
Hiroko, you may not like this,
but can I do it in my style?
Let's open some noodle sauce.
Oh, you've done it that way.
Do it like this.
Is it baked alright?
No，it isn't. Sorry.
This seems okay to me.
If it isn't baked properly,
don't you get stomachache?
No, you don't.
Working as a contemporary artist
in Japan is very hard.
To establish yourself as an artist,
you must find your own style.
Aida's style is rather humorous,
but it always contains stinging satire.
The power of the sting caries.
But I didn't expect to be stung.
He couldn't find a young model
in time for an art magazine deadline.
So he asked his wife to be a nude model.
What an idea! But as an artist,
I accepted his favor in my birthday suit.
My shape was heavily processed
to make me look like a 14-year-old.
I only like skilled artists.
It's true.
You only liked the skills of my willie.
That isn't true.
However good a guy's willie is,
if you think he lacks talentt,
it's hard to associate with him.
It's so stressful if you have to be
careful talking to yourpartner,
or you can only communicate
by bottling up your feelings,
even if you think you're better than
him or your ideas are more interesting.
But I can associate with him on
an equal footing and leam from him.
At any rate, he's more professional
since his 'War Picture Returns' series.
I think what he wants to do
in the art world became clearer
through the points he presented
in that series.
I didn't have much time left
till the exhibition.
All I could do was to use the
awfully artificial technique
of painting in oil that's used
at prep schools for art universities.
A technique that's easy-peasy
but produces a heavy look
seemed perfect for a project reviving
old war pictures artificially,
despite the fact we haven't
experienced war.
I expect anyone related to oil painting
at art schools was shocked.
That's the evil past that
everyone has locked away,
including my classmates.
There's a technique only used
for entrance exams. I used it too.
Bring it out and using it for
his own benefit was really interesting.
I'm out attached to any
particular painting technique.
I'm a conceptual artist,
but l'm not fussy about technique.
I choose one casually
depending on the situation.
That kind of attitude would normally
prevent you from becoming an artist.
I know it's a thorny, but as
long as I work hard on the concept,
it will come out alright even with
my kind of attitude toward technique.
That's how I plan things
and how I've managed up to now.
On New Year's Eve, some
young artists visit us in Chiba.
It's an annual custom.
This is the 109 Building in Shibuya
that I've reconstructed.
Looks like it, eh?
Two buildings side by side.
It's a twin 109 Building!
We see a lot like this at exhibitions.
Shall we enter his work
using some European name?
Just make up a story
that he's a graduate
from a famous architecture
department or something...
In a few seconds, itll be 2010.
5, 4,
5, 4, 3,
5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0. Whee!
Happy New Year!
Its 2010!
Hiroko, shall we go?
Torajiro's fine.
Torajiro, here's the fire.
I don't think well see the actual sunrise.
Is it only the Japanese who want to
see the sunrise on New Years Day?
It's like the movie
'Close Encounters of the Third Kind.'
I bet foreigners think we're weird!
Perhaps foreigners don't care
about the first sunrise.
They join in the countdown
at a party, and maybe that's it.
Oh, here it comes!
Wish, wish, what was my wish?
The very start of this year.
I'm glad we could see the sunrise.
It looks so heavenly, I think
my wish will come true.
It's only an illusion.
My wish is to be associated more
with the local junior high school girls.
It would be horrifying
if that came true.
It's sublimely beautiful
through the wisps of cloud.
Torajiro, shall we go?
Did you make a wish?
What did you wish for?
Do you want to tell me?
No? OK, then.
The National Museum of Art, Osaka
Preparations have started at
the National Museum of Art in Osaka.
Many young artists are participating.
Aida is now regarded as a veteran,
but he's the only one
who hasn't sompleted his work.
He has to continue painting
'Picture of Waterfall' at the venue.
Something strange...
This is the angle of the canvas.
The lower part gets more light.
The height of the lights
is lower than he'd expected,
so the painting looks very different.
What is it?
It's unstable.
Hmm, I don't know.
The rocks around here are shing,
and that's not really what I want.
In China, the highest parts were shining.
I thought that was heavenly
when I was painting.
I shouldn't use gold halfheartedly...
The height of the lights can't be changed.
He has no choice but to keep on working.
It's not so bad.
Oh dear, I don't know any more...
Should I really keep adjusting
the color according to the lighting?
Well, that's what I was doing in China.
I'm just going around in circles.
When will it be completed?
It's impossible at this exhibition.
But I'll try to keep working on it,
so that it looks finished
when viewed from a distance.
There are still many messy
parts if you look closely.
I thought you were adding something,
but you're working on the details.
You still have lots to do?
Yes, but I don't think the overall
impression will change much.
If that looked sharper,
it might be a little better...
Yes, on the whole, if that looked sharper..
Shall I do it?
That looks unrefined.
It's too much...
Now I know that, I'll do it,
but it's a lot of trouble.
Yes, I'll do it, but wait a moment...
Mr. Mizuma, the owner of the gallery
we belong to, has turned up.
I heard you haven't finished it.
Viewed from five meters away, it is.
So when are you going to complete it?
Strictly speaking, that's still far away...
But in a way it's already completed.
The impression you get
from it won't be much different.
If they want to buy it, will you
include the condition
that I can keep working
on it in the future?
Please arrange it in a reasonable manner.
Let's do that.
The curtain rises on an exhibition
including 'Picture of Waterfall'
left unfinished yet again.
Cheers!
Visitors have no idea that
the painting is incomplete.
It's only the painter himself who
knows the goal for completion.
A collector of Aida's works
gave us a lot of oden,
vegetables and fish cakes
cooked in fish broth,
so we invited some young artists
to share it with us.
Isn't it hard to keep facing the
same painting? Don't you get fonfused?
It's hard...
To answer your question, yes, it's hard.
What? It isn't completed yet?
I'm hopeless...
But it isn't only 'Picture of Waterfall'
that's incomplete.
Dammit!
January 20, 2010
Aida returns to Beijing in mid-winter.
I'll be in trouble if I don't speed up.
I don't have many days left.
Short of time...
It's a month since Aida was
last at the gallery in Beijing.
Oh, what do I do?
Cut off the security system... Good.
Soy sauce...
Citrus-based soy sauce...
Why am I checking my foodstuff
rather than my work"?
Ah, right. Yes, I'll work on it.
Hmm，I see.
Viewed close, I see.
It's basically not so bad.
Time for bed.
I'm gradually getting the idea of
how to speed things up.
The problem is nobody can help me.
I'll have to do it all myself.
But that's only natural.
Who is it ?
Hello, Aida here.
I started working on the businessmen.
Unless I finish it in time
for the exhibition in May,
my future as an artist
will be under threat.
Yes, thank you very much.
It's bound to fail.
I hate cleaning. Even if you clean,
it'll definitely get dirty again!
Oh, it's filthy!
During the spring holiday,
Torajiro and I are staying in Chiba
waiting for Aida's return.
Mothers and teachers exchange
diaries about the kids.
I have lots of them.
This one is from when
he was at nursery school.
I wrote it every day, including breakfast details.
Dinner, too...
"Rice mixed with baby sardines, tofu, salad,
seaweed soup, pork cutlet."
It's all so nostalgic!
Reading the diaries from the past
reminds me of the time up till last year
when we changed Torajiros school.
His teacher often spoke ill of me,
and it became a vicious circle.
I heated that. Once he told me
to raise my child seriously.
It's a big shock to hear
that kind of comment.
I wondered why he had to say that,
even though I know Torajiro
is nott very cooperative and
sometimes has a bad attitude.
We were both criticized constantly
that caused him some trauma.
Torajiro thinks he's in a minority
because he's a little strange,
and hes developed a complex about it.
He's just a kid, but he dosen't
like other kids these days.
When he goes to park
where lots of kids are playing,
I can sense him withdrawing into himself.
His face shows he doesn't like being there.
But when he goes to the park
in the evening, he looks so happy.
Torajiro's school life
wasn't successful,
so his memories of life in Chiba
may not be very happy ones.
But he seems to like this beach.
Oh, it feels good!
Will he bring back any souvenirs?
No, I don't think so.
There he，is!
Welcome back!
Aren't you going to hug him?
No, because we're Japanese!
Stop it! You're disturbing them.
I'm the main character,
so even if you're flmed a lot,
you'll be edired out
unless you stay close to me!
I want a performance facing the guests
in three directions.
Aida has decided to produce
a video work for the exhibition.
It'll be full of eroticism and humor,
which is what his art's all about
"The wider you open your pussy,
the better it gets."
Hmm, what can we do?
Perhaps something like this...
"The more you touch your pussy,
the better it gets."
We want something like
sharp twitching here.
"The more your pussy is licked..."
Suppose this is a pussy,
then a man's tongue is this big...
I'm sorry about this!
Can you move more in three dimensions?
So, let's start.
I'll do 'A Good Pussy'.
"First, what is a good pussy?"
"The wider you open your pussy,
the better it gets."
"Fourth, what is a good pussy?"
"The happier you get,
the better your pussy gets."
"Ninth, what is a good pussy?"
"The harder you rub your pussy,
the better your pussy gets."
Good, good!
The problem is wheher this
is really art or not.
I wonder if I should add some
musical accompaniment,
or is this chilly impression
more conceptual art-like?
You can be more low-key
for "if it's broken".
"If it's broken" means losing your
virginity，so you can be more low-key...
Rather than being interesting like sex,
this is a traditional performing art.
Mizuma Art Gallery [ Ichigaya, Tokyo ]
The painting of businessmen
has arrived from China.
Aida worked on it in Beijing till
the last minute at the end of March.
However, he couldn't complete it.
Higher would be better.
Maybe up to the height of that edge.
The ceiling's high, so it's good.
Let's go with this.
I was wondering last summer
what would happen... really.
I must do something around here first.
Unless I sor it out, it won't work
as if it's covered with mist.
If I don't get a nice gradation here,
the balance of the whole
painting will be bad...
I want to work on the details
but I must try this part first.
Ah.
I call it ADHD. I don't know
the proper name of the disease.
I have a personality problem.
I was one of those people
with a dark future
who generally aren't
any use in society...
But after learning the keyword 'Art'，
I realized I could remain totally as I am...
If you want to become a businessman,
you have to change your personality
to go along with society.
But an artist doesn't have to change.
In a way, I was bom to be an artist.
That may sound like bragging, bu I
realized that when I was about 16.
Torajiro and I are going tot see the paintings
Aida's been working on for nine months.
He's staying at the gallary
on his own to continue painting.
Look, Tora... You don't care?
Papa may be dead.
He's just ignoring us!
You can't cheat him any more!
This isn't a painting.
I should use more little tricks,
but I don't have any time left.
It's like a picture of hell, but with a
light touch that makes you smile a bit.
That delicate balance is interesting.
Tora, I think this part
needs some orange,
orange like this or this one.
And if that's added, I reckon
this painting will be finished.
It looks like mustard and ketchup.
Here we go. It may fail. lt often does.
From here, down, like this.
Tora, can you see?
It says one and one equals two.
See? One plus one equals two.
Ah, yes, it does.
My paintings are simple.
I paint to please kids.
Do you?
These simple colors present the colorful
image of educational materials for children.
Which one do you like most?
Papa's works aren't usually rough like this.
He normally paints detailed things like this.
But this one is so rough,
and not painted wit a brush.
That one's done with brushes and pencils.
It looks very good.
I'll do it, but wait a moment...
I don't want to do it again...no more.
Thats certainly how I feel.
You're working.
Yes, I am. You know what, Ttora?
Tomorrow's the first day of my exhibition.
I think this is good enough.
No, it's a long way from being finished.
Really?
What do you think will happen
when it's finished?
I don't know.
Everyone will be moved to tears.
But you may not see anyone crying
tomorrow because it isn't finished yet.
That's frustrating.
If it was completed, someone
might die of a heart attack.
In that case, maybe i's good
that it isn't finished.
Tora, did you understand what art is
when I painted orange on that one?
You don't like painting at school, right?
No.
But you can paint in any way you like.
I don't understand.
If you want to put orange here
you do it-that's all.
Right now I'm wondering
where to put this purplish color...
I think it's here, but I don't
have any particular reason.
I just feel it's maybe around here.
It looks like the top's finished.
No, it hasn't reached the final phase yet.
That takes a hell of a time.
Opening Day for 'E-BAKA'
May 6, 2010
I'm egoistic, I wantt to
be under the spotlight.
I'm happy to be praised and get mad
if I'm sharply criticized.
I'm just one of those people
who express themselves.
I believe Art is par of
the service industry,
stimulating a kind of pleasure
in those who see it.
So once I've decided to do this work,
I must serve the public.
I's a mystery even to me
why I drive myself into a situation
where I have o fight against
my lack of perseverance.
My video work over there
is titled 'A Good Pussy'.
It's a performance art
based on 'A Good Willie,'
dating from those shameful times when
the atmosphere at Japanese art colleges
was stupid and macho,
and brains were built of muscle.
Until about 20 years ago,
when I was a university student,
it was a common performing art
freshmen had to watch
at the welcome party,
but it faded away.
Possible reasons could be that campuses
are filled with female students today
or that stylish and feminine art
is preferred, or something like that.
If that's the case, I though I
should reproduce the art of 'A Good Pussy'
to satisfy the new age.
However, I'd now like you to watch
an orthodox traditional, genuine
version of 'A Good Willie.'
Yuji SASAKI
We'll get down, OK?
Only for this, filming is permitted!
To celebrate the opening
of Aida's exhibition,
I will now perform the orthodix
'A Good Willie'. Here we go...
"A good, good willie."
"First, what is a good willie?"
"The more a willie is ttwisted,
the better it gets."
"Second, what is a good willie?"
The more a willie is shaken,
the better it gets."
"Sixth, what is a good willie?"
"The more a willie is peeled,
the better it gets."
Thank you very much.
Mr. Sasaki is my teacher.
Ah, at Ochabi... He's a good teacher.
It was interesting.
Your sailor uniform is a very
classic design, isn't it?
I thought you were doing cosplay!
I want to study oil painting where you did.
What do you think?
Nothing s good about Tokyo University of the Arts.
I think I could have studied anywhere.
What might you have
studied other than oil?
I think I could have chosen
Japanese-style painting.
I thought that after I entered.
But the result would have been the same!
Lost your desire to go to an art university?
Tonight, Aida is in full throttle.
It's been unusually successful
for an exhibition of contemporary art.
But Aida's evening is
a long way from finished yet...
Lets go, everyone!
What does your daughter do now?
She's a university student.
Which department?
Expressive Arts.
Art?
No, it's Subculture.
He's already pretty mellow.
Looks like he won't be
coming home till morning.
Rock bands like GLAY get an
audience of around 30,000, right?
If 30,000 people visited Mizuma,
the floor would collapse!
You say "success," but it's only
100 visitors at most. That's it.
You know all about that
of thing, don't you?
It's the so-called subculture, you know.
It's on green...Do you want to cross?
Shall we?
Dammit! I'll cut some comers next time!
The Ash Color Mountain