As Tough As Nails

Japanese artist Takashi Hara aims to be as oppositional as the proverbial Japanese saying and to be “the nail who puts a dent in the hammer”.

- Ryan Mario

When one catches glimpses of Takashi Hara’s masterpieces, absolutely nothing about traditional Japanese calligraphy — or Shodo, which loosely translates to “the way of writing” — comes to mind. Yet, it is the age-old art form that the works of the 37-year old artist invoke in both essence and execution, forming the crux of their appreciation in a storied process rather than the outcome.

WHAT WERE YOUR FIRST STEPS INTO THE ART INDUSTRY?

At the age of six, I was already convinced that I wanted to be an artist in the future and informed my parents of my decision — much to their dismay since I was constantly angering my mother by doodling on any surfaces and in the pages of every possible book I managed to get my hands on.

One year later at seven, I began my studies in calligraphy which became the foundation of my artistic ventures down the road. For two years after high school, I was under the tutelage of prominent calligrapher Koshin Soeda.

Unsatisfied with honing my skills in a single art form, I further pursued an education in the arts, thereby attaining a double B.F.A. in Fine Arts (painting and ceramics) from the University of Regina in Canada and an M.F.A. in ceramics from the Arizona State University in the United States.

WITH TRADITIONAL CALLIGRAPHY AS THE INITIATING ART FORM TAUGHT TO YOU, THE VISUAL ELEMENTS OF YOUR WORKS ARE NOT REFLECTIVE OF IT — WHAT IS THE ARTISTIC DIRECTION OF YOUR STYLE THEN?