Satellite Voices

Tokyo

Monochrome World of Ly

July 11

What do you see in her DIK on canvas? Ly introduces you to a world of cute but dangerous monsters

• Text by Ayumi Seki

Ly paints mystery figures only with two colours; black and white. Funny creatures play on canvas, and her favourite character DIK looks at you with a mischievous smile on its face. Do you want to stare at DIK or would you feel shy? She explains her work that it symbolises taboos and everything we shouldn’t see nor say. She has just exhibited “Man in a Skirt” at the New Accident gallery in Kanazawa. Let us introduce these monochrome paintings you never forget once you see.

Satellite Voices: Why did you start painting "DIK" and "Hate"?
Ly: These represent taboos, discomfort, disgust, discrimination, negative elements. And I wanted to hate what I hate appropriately. If you have something that makes you feel uncomfortable, then you should dislike them, not try to hide it. I am trying to paint this strong feeling inside me.

SV: When did you start these paintings?
Ly: It’s been a long time. I had been to a painting class in elementary school and I saw photo books by Jean Cocteau there. The book was so interesting to me, and I laughed a lot by looking at it. I somehow get an inspiration from it, and wrote dicks on many things, even on rabbits. When I wrote dick in a high school art class, teacher really pissed off and he shouted at me: “I understand artists must be eccentric, but you are also a lady!” After this experience, I was afraid to show my paintings to others. I thought they would get mad like the teacher did. But they weren’t. I was surprised.

SV: Why do you paint only black and white?
Ly: Because I’m lazy and I don’t like using colours. I paint quite speedy, I don’t have much time to think about colours. I just write what I see in my head. I don’t have any desire to use color except black and white.

Moreover, when you think about taboos or negative elements and colours suits them, you would imagine black. So the opposite colour is necessary if you want to use black. You may be surprised, but when I was a child, my room and my entire house was coloured all black. Even my desk and wall were black as well. It was a strange house when I think back, but I had this obsession to black since then. Black cannot live without white, and white cannot be brighter without black. For me, black and white are special colours.

SV: When is the most exiting moment for you?
Ly: When I paint. It depends on the size of canvas but I usually create two paintings in a day. Make the canvas, and paint it. I just keep doing this everyday. I can’t stop smiling when I put my paintings on the wall. I’m a huge fan of my works.

SV: Tell us your experience of earthquake?
Ly: I was in my studio and painting. Tokyo has no direct damage by the earthquake but at the same time, the northern part of Japan was facing a huge disaster. I felt really strange about it. I normally paint for myself but after the earthquake, I made a piece thinking about them. When I painted this piece, I prayed for my works to be safe, for people who own my works to be safe, for people who are friends or lovers or families of the owners to be safe. I believe painting is similar to praying or a wish.