Artists talk about Teshima as more than just art. Islander Interviews – Ideal for Your Trip Home

The island scenery cut out from the artist's perspective becomes a new attraction that had not been noticed before.

Photographer Kazuya Kitamura moved to Teshima in the summer of 2024.
I remember how impressed I was the first time I climbed Mt. I remember how impressed I was the first time I climbed up there. Especially, Okazaki Park near the top of the mountain is a wonderful place with cherry blossoms in bloom in the spring. And because there are not many people in the park, it is sometimes completely silent. When I think back to my time in the Kanto region, I have never experienced such silence.
Kitamura says he likes to spend time in quiet Okazaki Park, looking at the scenery and thinking. The scenery is different every day, and he never gets tired of looking at it.

The impression changes depending on the position of the sun, and it is not just a matter of whether it is sunny or cloudy; it also depends on the humidity. From Okazaki Park, you can see the city of Takamatsu, but some days it looks clear and other days it looks hazy. The color of the sea is sometimes bright blue and other days grayish. The view is never the same, so I want to take pictures of it as many times as I can.

We asked artist Yue, who stayed in Teshima for a month and a half in the summer of 2023 and then moved to the island in earnest in the spring of 2024, about her favorite place.
There is a facility called Teshima Espoir Park on the north side of the island, and if you stand in front of the curve mirror at the end of the park, you can see only the reflection of the ocean in the curve mirror. Behind the curve mirror are mountains. This place, where I can see both the ocean and the mountains at once, is my recent favorite."

In order to paint, Mr. Yue says he is always on the lookout for good scenery and good light. What is the secret to finding a great view?
I think it is good to be aware of the position of the sun. For example, the sun in the evening is a strong orange light, and in that orange light, you can see interesting shadows on the guardrail, or when you are on a boat, you can see the waves shimmering in the sunlight from right above. Also, not only natural light, but also artificial light in nature is interesting. When a bicyclist rides by on a pitch-dark night street, the bicycle basket casts a huge shadow when illuminated by its lights, or the orange reflectors on the guardrail are dotted with lights far beyond the road. If you look beyond the light, I think you can see things that you normally don't pay attention to.
With her sensitive sensor, Yue captures a scene that other people might miss. One of her most impressive paintings is that of a crab.
I was born and raised in Shinjuku, so I have no experience of living with living creatures around me. When I first came to Teshima, I was very excited to see so many crabs, but the islanders didn't pay any attention to them, which surprised me a lot. They were surprised that I was painting with my eyes fixed on the crabs, which was also interesting.

Shadows beyond the light, grass swaying in the wind, crabs walking around... Yue's paintings seem to express a kind of island atmosphere.
I have always felt that it would be nice to paint the atmosphere, but it wasn't Teshima that I became aware of it in words. I started to feel the daily air, the humidity of the day, and I began to think clearly in words, "I want to paint the air.

Kitamura and Yue once held a joint exhibition together. Kitamura recalls his impression at that time.
The way Yuzue-chan cuts out her pictures is so wonderful. I was surprised that she could find such a place. I was impressed by the way she focused on places that even the islanders didn't know where they were, and how excited everyone was when they saw them. I was impressed by the excitement they had when they saw it.
Since she has been living in Tokyo, Yue says that her theme has been to collect and draw pictures of ordinary things in her daily life.
At Teshima, there are people who know the places I draw or can tell me more about them, and I get immediate reactions to my drawings. In that sense, I feel that Teshima is a place that fits the theme of my creation. At the joint exhibition, many children came and asked me, "Isn't this a crab? Is it a gecko? I was happy to hear their honest opinions and to see their interest in the island's nature.
Mr. Kitamura also says that there was one thing that impressed him while taking pictures on the island.
When we were taking wedding photos in the village of Teshima, the island's grandmothers came up to us and talked with us, so we took a picture with the bride and groom," he said. I really like this photo because it is a special wedding photo, but it feels like it blends in with the everyday life of the island.

The island environment, which is completely different from that of the city, seems to have an impact on his creations.
When I first moved here, I felt like I was in an extraordinary world. Not only was there abundant nature, but the houses and towns had a completely different feel from those in the city, and I felt like I was in another world. There are almost no billboards on the island. When you are in a city, you are subconsciously bombarded with all kinds of information, including advertisements. The lack of such miscellaneous information on the island allows me to spend more time focusing on myself.
The two artists are working on their creations in the environment of a remote island in the Seto Inland Sea, while keeping their senses sharp. We look forward to seeing what kind of island scenery they will capture and show us in the future.