Tsuyoshi Anzai

Visiting Artist for 2024 ICCI ART VALLEY Program. (b.1987, Tokyo, Japan) is an artist who works with ready-made plastic objects, like everyday items and garbage. Tsuyoshi’s works aim to remove original function and meaning of artificial objects and to get over a human-centered perspective of the world. His kinetic sculptures composed of everyday items move in unexpected ways and question what the border between animate beings and inanimate objects. He makes a sculpture with plastic garbage collected on beaches and treat them as relics for a non-human archaeologist in the distant future.

His works, colorful and interesting to look at, strike us somehow like an extension of children’s play. Yet, to see familiar objects engaging in unfamiliar behavior evokes an eerie sense of disorientation.

He received degrees of music and new media both from Tokyo University of the Arts. His works have been exhibited at Ludwig Museum, Budapest, 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin.

Author Credit: Jasmine, Joy, Minna，Yiwei （MFA2022 MD2024）

The series of art interview was completed by the students of the ICCI course "Digital Curatorial Management", and is a practical part of the ICCI ART VALLEY Program.

The Beginning of Contemporary Art Exploration and Creation

Tsuyoshi’s journey in the arts began with music during his undergraduate studies at Tokyo University of the Arts. While a traditional and historically rich institution, the music department at Tokyo Geidai was refreshingly unconventional, with no strict stylistic boundaries. During university, Tsuyoshi joined a rock band, an experience that sparked his creative drive toward contemporary art. However, his interest in electronic music didn’t resonate as strongly, and he ultimately turned to explore contemporary art independently.

“So for me, studying music at university wasn’t my cup of tea, but I wanted to express something by myself, and that was contemporary art.”

Tsuyoshi recalls a memorable exhibition experience from high school, where viewers were encouraged to hammer nails into wood canvases. "When I saw that piece, I thought, ‘Why should I do this? I’m not your slave.’ That’s when I developed a distaste for contemporary art because artists seemed to be pretending, they were somehow superior." He went on to comment, "Especially when viewing works abroad, reading long descriptions can be so exhausting."

“Art often needs verbal or written explanation, and that can be interesting. But the balance between what the artwork itself communicates, and the explanatory text is crucial.”

In his freshman year, Tsuyoshi conducted his first performance art piece, The Shaving Head. “I was in a box with a hole on top, exposing the crown of my head, and I invited the audience to shave my hair. It was really my hair, so people could enjoy the work without needing to understand my concept. That’s my strategy.” Discussing the deeper meaning behind the piece, Tsuyoshi added, “That was just an extra. It was easy for me as an artist to control, but ultimately, it was a story made for observation.”

Tsuyoshi's first performance piece "Shaving Head"

This work subtly introduced the themes of interaction and “control versus the uncontrolled,” which would later become central to his exploration of kinetic sculpture.

The Creative Intentions and Practice of Kinetic Sculptures

"In fact, everything in life is constantly changing."

Tsuyoshi's many works take the form of kinetic sculptures, and for Tsuyoshi, the definition of kinetic sculpture is simple - to amplify the movement of objects. As for the original intention of creating kinetic sculptures, it stems from his desire to present his work to the audience through three levels. "If a sculpture is kinetic, it can at least attract viewers to stop for five seconds, allowing them to have a sensation of the work without needing to understand the concept, which is the first level. The second level is where I try to make the work interesting in two or three sentences, achieving a balance between textual explanation and the work itself. The third level is to further convey the connotation of the work." Because Tsuyoshi knows there may be a gap between the message he wants to convey and the audience's perception, he is not obsessed with having viewers understand his work exactly as intended, but rather focuses on whether the audience has a sensation in response to his work.

"Objects themselves reflect our society."

Tsuyoshi's kinetic sculptures make extensive use of everyday objects, especially colorful plastic products. "Everyday objects are already made by others, so there's no need to start from scratch, which brings convenience to artistic creation." By using these ready-made items, Tsuyoshi reflects society through the inherent attributes of the objects. For example, regarding the choice of color, he believes that it is not he who chose these bright colors, but rather the manufacturers behind the products who chose them. Because of this, these attractive colors precisely reflect the consumption habits and visual preferences of modern society, influenced by consumerism.

Using Art to Explore the Balance of "Control and Uncontrol"

Tsuyoshi seems to approach the concept of "control and uncontrol" with a clear and observational perspective, not centering the issue around himself. He acknowledges the uncontrollability of many things but strives to exert control where he can, giving voice to these issues and working to make things better.

"I try to control my kinetic sculptures, but they always go beyond my control."

For Tsuyoshi, the thought of his kinetic sculptures breaking down in a museum is terrifying. If a kinetic sculpture stops moving in a museum, it loses its appeal, may disappoint viewers, and misses out on conveying something important. However, he wants to embrace this chance of "losing control" and display these unexpected results in the museum, even though he knows some viewers may feel disappointed by it.

"Perhaps we cannot solve it, but we need to find a way to coexist with it."

Tsuyoshi’s kinetic sculptures revolve around the core theme of control and uncontrol. On a macro level, global environmental issues, such as climate change and natural disasters, symbolize humanity’s helplessness and insignificance in the face of nature—forces beyond individual control. Like the typhoon Tsuyoshi encountered when he arrived in Shanghai, even though he hoped to control the time and place of his arrival, he still faced issues like flight delays or being caught in heavy rain due to nature’s uncontrollable aspects. Regarding these uncontrollable issues, Tsuyoshi contemplates how humans should coexist with these forces beyond their control. He believes that humanity’s controllable response is to recognize the problems and work toward solutions.

"Life is about reconciling with these issues."

On a micro level, Tsuyoshi’s personal experiences have deepened his understanding of control and uncontrol. After undergoing multiple surgeries, he remains uncertain about the causes of his illness, which remains a mystery to him. He cannot control his body, and if he knew the exact cause, he could work towards it. But the lack of clarity leaves him powerless. For Tsuyoshi, life is about coming to terms with these issues. Just like using translation software to communicate with others in a Chinese restaurant, despite the process being challenging, it is still something he can accept. This self-resistance is a form of control within uncontrollable events.

Tsuyoshi's Solo Exhibition: Healthy Machines

"Trust is a form of healing and self-growth."

This reconciliation is also further reflected in Tsuyoshi's works. He had a project with a five-month exhibition period at the Ludwig Museum in Budapest, and his dynamic sculptures were prone to damage and required battery replacements every day. Since he needed to return to Japan during the exhibition, Tsuyoshi provided a manual on how to assemble and repair the sculptures. The decision to leave the follow-up matters of the exhibition installations to the museum instead of constantly checking the progress by himself was a new challenge for Tsuyoshi. He believes that trust between people is the foundation of life, and it is a process of healing and self-growth for him.

Guiding Audience in Sculpture Repair at the Exhibition

"I aim to convert objects into information to preserve my sculptures."

Tsuyoshi's artistic philosophy includes the preservation and continuation of his works in the future. Throughout the entire process of audience interaction with his sculptures, he was surprised to find that some visitors attempted to purchase his sculptures. He believes that the value of dynamic sculptures lies more in the process of making and assembling them. Therefore, he demonstrated how to assemble the sculptures for buyers and recorded the entire process. If the sculpture malfunctions, the buyer must repair it themselves. Moreover, if the buyer decides to resell it, the process continues. Through this method of "legacy," Tsuyoshi ensures the vitality of his dynamic sculptures.

At the same time, Tsuyoshi proposed the concept of transforming hardware into information to ensure the sculptures withstand the test of time. Similar to origami, where paper is fragile, but the art itself does not depend on the physical object, but rather on books and instructions for transmission. Thus, through information, the dynamic sculpture preserved by instructions will have lasting vitality, transcending the limitations of time and adapting and evolving with the changes of the era.

The instructional drawings for building the machine

Future prospects

Microplastics picture

Plastic may still exist as a physical entity for decades or even centuries, so Tsuyoshi is not limiting his perspective to just a few years in the present. Microplastics are one of his upcoming topics, and in this area, Tsuyoshi demonstrates his de-anthropocentric environmentalism. He discussed the long-term value of plastics and how his operational instructions could serve as a guide for future reference.

"I usually approach projects with a firm belief that they are interesting or meaningful. I want to create many experimental works here. For example, inviting the audience to participate in repairs. Additionally, I want to conduct various experiments with microplastics. This time, I want to create a pillow-like piece that incorporates clothing."

He mentioned the concept of plastic clothing and using microplastics to create experimental new works. In terms of commercial value, the texture and images of microplastics provide a great opportunity for developing NFT (Non-Fungible Token) artworks. In the future, he hopes to create some commercial NFTs, aiming to "pollute" the NFT market with microplastics, as NFTs, in theory, will last for many years, much like microplastics. By creating NFTs from microplastics or images of microplastics, each NFT artwork might, in the future, be like plastic, and he expressed great enthusiasm for this exploration.

Interactive site

"And you know, with kinetic sculptures, it’s similar. Whether it’s broken down or not, if the audience can decide that, then it’s a different kind of breakdown—if it’s not moving, maybe the audience can imagine what it was like before."

Finally, we asked Tsuyoshi about audience interaction. One new question he would like to explore this time, if the audience is invited to participate in the restoration of the kinetic sculpture, is what defines the boundary between damage and normal functioning, as there is no guarantee that the audience will be able to successfully restore it, but if the kinetic sculpture is not functioning, he considers it part of the work's state. He delegated the outcome of this part of the dynamic sculpture to the audience to shape.

“Sometimes the viewer's feedback is interesting to me, but sometimes it's not. The audience is an uncontrollable part of the process because they are independent people and it's hard for me to predict their reactions. The audience is always unexpected and hard to control, sometimes they touch my work and even want to take it home. This is especially true for children, as the work is colourful and easily appeals to them.”

Tsuyoshi also has some more ideas for further interactive projects.

“I need to invent a new frame. But I haven't thought of the exact method yet. Honestly, I'd rather focus on microplastic projects, and I'm not sure if this direction is interesting yet, but I'd like to use motion capture as a new way of presenting kinetic sculptures.”

It was a pleasure to learn about Tsuyoshi's exploration of the controllable and the uncontrollable, he was chatty and happy to tell us all about his work. Tsuyoshi's art is not only about aesthetic pursuits, but also about discursive and personal reflections on everyday objects and observations. He connects with the viewer through his work, encouraging them to participate in the artistic process, to experience the making of a kinetic sculpture, and to become a part of the work. Let's look forward to Tsuyoshi's new works in the future.