Manga × Culture Vol.1 Akino Kondoh
From young girls and bugs, to bodies, blood, and alter egos, Akino Kondoh's artwork seems full of the cruelty and sexual curiosity found in young women who to pass fully into adulthood, along with the high self-consciousness characteristic of early adolescence. Each of her elaborate, pencil-drawn images has something frightful about it that brings goosebumps to the skin yet still draws the eyes back for some reason. The sinful feeling like you just saw someone's dark side not meant for the eyes of others and desire to feel that chill again make it impossible to resist looking. I first learned of Kondoh through her manga "Hakoniwa Mushi", but she is also affiliated with a gallery and creates animation in addition to her drawings and paintings. I had the chance to interview Kondoh at her latest solo exhibition "KiyaKiya".
Your exhibition is called "KiyaKiya". What is the meaning behind this title?
Akino Kondoh (Kondoh):It comes from an old Japanese way of saying "I have a kiyakiya in my chest" (mune ga kiyakiya suru). I have yet to meet anyone who is familiar with the phrase (laughs). I discovered it in the glossary of a short by Tatsuhiko Shibusawa called "Shojo Collection Josetsu" where it was described as being a keen feeling experienced after an episode of deja-vu that is unsettling and disturbing yet also familiar.
I realized that I had never found any word to properly express this sort of feeling in myself, so it clicked with me straight away. At the same time, I was also interested in "kamishibai" (picture-card shows). This exhibition is the culmination of my attempt to create artwork built around the keyword "mune ga kiyakiya suru" and the concept of kamishibai.
The text or symbol-like words that appear in the film are striking. What are these?
Kondoh: The girl in the animation is reading kamishibai, so it was necessary to have text. But, I had the feeling that, in both Japanese and English, when you insert some sort of text it can take over the image. I needed something that anyone would be able to recognize as text but unable to read. I depicted this by recombining parts from the hiragana syllabary and 4 letters from the alphabet into 54 characters. I can read them, but they don't have any definite meaning.
The girl is the same as the one who appears in your previous manga like "Hakoniwa Mushi" (Seirin Kogeisha), but the presentation is quite different. Your manga often features glimpses of slimy things gushing forth from people's bodies and other harsh imagery, but when I watch this animation it seems more like a fairy tale about being liberated from the physical body
Kondoh:Yes, I think you're right. It's been quite a few years since I drew manga, so I think this transition has been more natural than intentional. With a manga you have a story that makes it impossible to make too abrupt of changes, but with animation you have other elements like music and so on that make it watchable even if things get really abstract. That's a big distinction I make between the two when drawing.
When did you decide you wanted to use manga as a means of self-expression?
Kondoh:During my senior year of high school. I was attending an art prep school, and they held a competition in the summer. Even though it was my first time ever drawing manga in my life I ended up winning (laughs). I was thrilled, and I went and made a bunch of copies and sold them. I turned into such a great experience that I decided to try and become a manga artist in college. I went on to enroll in a graphic design course at Tama Art University and would draw manga in between my schoolwork. I finally made my magazine debut at the beginning of my sophomore year with a piece I made during my first year. My first appearance in a magazine was in "Ax", and my first series was "Comic H" in Rocking On.
The worlds that appear in your manga often have a view of young girls similar to that of Tatsuhiko Shibusawa or a slightly detached worldview like that found in the manga of Fumiko Takano. Where do think this comes from?
Kondoh:I got into manga a bit later in life than usual - I didn't pick up on Osamu Tezuka's work until I was in middle school. I've never really read any girl's manga. One thing worth mentioning is that I was really into a band called Tama, and if there was one thing I was really into during my teens it was listening to their music. From there I just naturally heard about Garo and read it in bookstores.
Is there anyone who has influenced the touch of your artwork. Your work looks like it's aimed at young girls, but it's really not.
Kondoh:I'm a big fan of the work of a manga artist named Toshio Saeki. I used to even try to imitate his style a bit, so some of my first pieces look a lot like his. But, I've never actually devoted a lot of practice to copying his work (laughs).
Tell us a bit about how you come up with your stories. Also, who is the puffy girl who appears in a lot of your work?
Kondoh:With manga the first thing I do is write the text and then divide it up with lines to determine the number of pages, and then divide it up again into the individual frames. The girl is a classmate of the main character of my very first manga. People often ask if it's supposed to be me, but this isn't the case - she's more like the type of girl I would aspire to be or an idealized version of myself.
Your manga and animation take on a lot of different themes, but is there any one particular thing you are trying to convey through all of them?
Kondoh:I'm really only doing things based off of what interests me at the time. I'm fascinated by things like false recollections, misunderstandings, and distorted memories.
Your manga and animation take on a lot of different themes, but is there any one particular thing you are trying to convey through all of them?
Kondoh:I really don't know (laughs). I think I would probably notice something after I've been here 10 years. One thing I did notice, though, was that my latest work has lots of unreadable text, which could be a representation of the fear from living in an unknown country surrounded by unknown words. I realized this after I finished creating it.
KondoH Akino
Received the 2nd Ax Newcomer Award (Seirin Kogeisha) in 2000 for the manga "Kobayashi Kayoko" and then NHK Digital Stadium Annual Anime Grand Prix in 2002 with "Densha Kamoshirenai", a piece featuring a girl dancing to the rhythm of music by Toshiaki Chiku (ex-member of Tama). Known mainly for sharp pen drawings with a subtle touch, she has recently started working in oil painting as well. Published her second manga "Itsumo no Hanashi" (Seirin Kogeisha) in 2008.
http://akinokondoh.com/index.html/
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KiyaKiya 2010-2011, single channel animation video 6min. 39sec.
Your exhibition is called "KiyaKiya". What is the meaning behind this title?
Akino Kondoh (Kondoh):It comes from an old Japanese way of saying "I have a kiyakiya in my chest" (mune ga kiyakiya suru). I have yet to meet anyone who is familiar with the phrase (laughs). I discovered it in the glossary of a short by Tatsuhiko Shibusawa called "Shojo Collection Josetsu" where it was described as being a keen feeling experienced after an episode of deja-vu that is unsettling and disturbing yet also familiar.
I realized that I had never found any word to properly express this sort of feeling in myself, so it clicked with me straight away. At the same time, I was also interested in "kamishibai" (picture-card shows). This exhibition is the culmination of my attempt to create artwork built around the keyword "mune ga kiyakiya suru" and the concept of kamishibai.
The text or symbol-like words that appear in the film are striking. What are these?
Kondoh: The girl in the animation is reading kamishibai, so it was necessary to have text. But, I had the feeling that, in both Japanese and English, when you insert some sort of text it can take over the image. I needed something that anyone would be able to recognize as text but unable to read. I depicted this by recombining parts from the hiragana syllabary and 4 letters from the alphabet into 54 characters. I can read them, but they don't have any definite meaning.
The girl is the same as the one who appears in your previous manga like "Hakoniwa Mushi" (Seirin Kogeisha), but the presentation is quite different. Your manga often features glimpses of slimy things gushing forth from people's bodies and other harsh imagery, but when I watch this animation it seems more like a fairy tale about being liberated from the physical body
Kondoh:Yes, I think you're right. It's been quite a few years since I drew manga, so I think this transition has been more natural than intentional. With a manga you have a story that makes it impossible to make too abrupt of changes, but with animation you have other elements like music and so on that make it watchable even if things get really abstract. That's a big distinction I make between the two when drawing.
KiyaKiya_painting01 2009, 22.8 x 30.3cm Oil on Canvas Photo:Katsuhiro Saiki
When did you decide you wanted to use manga as a means of self-expression?
Kondoh:During my senior year of high school. I was attending an art prep school, and they held a competition in the summer. Even though it was my first time ever drawing manga in my life I ended up winning (laughs). I was thrilled, and I went and made a bunch of copies and sold them. I turned into such a great experience that I decided to try and become a manga artist in college. I went on to enroll in a graphic design course at Tama Art University and would draw manga in between my schoolwork. I finally made my magazine debut at the beginning of my sophomore year with a piece I made during my first year. My first appearance in a magazine was in "Ax", and my first series was "Comic H" in Rocking On.
The worlds that appear in your manga often have a view of young girls similar to that of Tatsuhiko Shibusawa or a slightly detached worldview like that found in the manga of Fumiko Takano. Where do think this comes from?
Kondoh:I got into manga a bit later in life than usual - I didn't pick up on Osamu Tezuka's work until I was in middle school. I've never really read any girl's manga. One thing worth mentioning is that I was really into a band called Tama, and if there was one thing I was really into during my teens it was listening to their music. From there I just naturally heard about Garo and read it in bookstores.
Is there anyone who has influenced the touch of your artwork. Your work looks like it's aimed at young girls, but it's really not.
Kondoh:I'm a big fan of the work of a manga artist named Toshio Saeki. I used to even try to imitate his style a bit, so some of my first pieces look a lot like his. But, I've never actually devoted a lot of practice to copying his work (laughs).
Kondoh Akino Exhibition "KiyaKiya" at Mizuma Art Gallery(Tokyo),2011
Photo Kei Miyajima, Courtesy the artist and Mizuma Art Gallery
Photo Kei Miyajima, Courtesy the artist and Mizuma Art Gallery
Tell us a bit about how you come up with your stories. Also, who is the puffy girl who appears in a lot of your work?
Kondoh:With manga the first thing I do is write the text and then divide it up with lines to determine the number of pages, and then divide it up again into the individual frames. The girl is a classmate of the main character of my very first manga. People often ask if it's supposed to be me, but this isn't the case - she's more like the type of girl I would aspire to be or an idealized version of myself.
Your manga and animation take on a lot of different themes, but is there any one particular thing you are trying to convey through all of them?
Kondoh:I'm really only doing things based off of what interests me at the time. I'm fascinated by things like false recollections, misunderstandings, and distorted memories.
Your manga and animation take on a lot of different themes, but is there any one particular thing you are trying to convey through all of them?
Kondoh:I really don't know (laughs). I think I would probably notice something after I've been here 10 years. One thing I did notice, though, was that my latest work has lots of unreadable text, which could be a representation of the fear from living in an unknown country surrounded by unknown words. I realized this after I finished creating it.
Text_Keiko Kamijo
Translation_Luke Baker
KondoH Akino
Received the 2nd Ax Newcomer Award (Seirin Kogeisha) in 2000 for the manga "Kobayashi Kayoko" and then NHK Digital Stadium Annual Anime Grand Prix in 2002 with "Densha Kamoshirenai", a piece featuring a girl dancing to the rhythm of music by Toshiaki Chiku (ex-member of Tama). Known mainly for sharp pen drawings with a subtle touch, she has recently started working in oil painting as well. Published her second manga "Itsumo no Hanashi" (Seirin Kogeisha) in 2008.
http://akinokondoh.com/index.html/
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