Ryoma Noda

Artist Statement

“The things which require the most time to pursue are lost before we know it.”

Due to the high frequency of natural disasters in the region, many of Japan’s cultural assets have developed in small, lightweight sizes that are easy to carry during emergencies.
But beyond the practical necessity and demand for such things, the high quality and delicate nature of the cultural heritage, traditions, and techniques that have been passed down through the generations in Japan may also correspond to the Japanese people’s fussy, industrious character and preference for tasks that require a high deal of precision and dedication.

But rather than those things and phenomena that require time and effort to enjoy, I feel that contemporary society is too caught up with things that are of the moment or offer instant stimulus and pleasure. As a result, the things we have cultivated throughout our long history are lost, little by little, before we even notice they’re gone.

I would like to preserve the knowledge and techniques that have been refined for hundreds of years. My hope is that by presenting works that brush up on Japanese culture, arts, and lacquerware, I can direct more eyes to Japanese culture, including among Japanese themselves.

My banana series presents idolized images of bananas as symbols of growth and the raw power of nature. The idea was inspired by the halos seen in Buddhist statues and I have built on that to express the positive energy that all bananas possess.

With this new piece, Vanana: Kotowari (Reason), I have used a rotten banana to represent the very opposite of glamour and evoke nature’s providence. There are many things around us that we benefit from unquestioningly, even as we fail to recognize their presence and continue with mass consumption. Isn’t that true not only for the world of arts and crafts but our own daily lifestyles as well?

I hope this piece will inspire viewers to renew their sense of nature’s wonder and also compel them to dwell on the things that are being lost to time or gradually forgotten.