Strong "particularity" blossoms. Values ​​and connections blossomed by Masahiro Fukui. "Listening Museum #16"

"HERALBONY TONE FROM MUSEUM ~Listening Museum~" is a podcast that focuses on artists contracted to the welfare experimental company Heralbony.

Sara Ogawa, an actor, filmmaker, and writer, along with HERALBONY's President and CEO Takaya Matsuda and Vice President Fumito Matsuda will act as interviewers. As they listen closely to the art, they will touch on the personality of this "unique artist" and his life story that can be seen beyond his work.

This time, we focus on Masahiro Fukui, who paints flowers in vivid colors and with a unique style. We invited his mother, Taeko, and Mayumi Ina, vice-president of Art Space Karafuru, to speak to them about what makes Fukui unique.

His production style is to look at motifs and illustrated catalogs and draw them. All the plants that catch his eye are warm. His works, drawn with a thick brush, are lovely and take the viewer to a gentle world. On the other hand, his works, which use the "Fukui font" boldly expressed with a magic pen, have a dignified atmosphere and bewilder the viewer's eyes.

#Uniqueness born from commitment

Takaya: Today, I would like to introduce an artist called Fukui Masahiro from Art Space Karafuru in Tottori Prefecture.

Ogawa: Here is one of Fukui's works, a painting of flowers. Rather than being a copy, it's a very lovely flower that is unique to Fukui.

Takaya: Yes. The piece I'm looking at, called "Hibiscus," has a row of big red tomato-like things lined up, and among them is what looks like an acrylic drawing with yellow lines that jump up and down, probably pointing to petals. And there's a green stem, and it's like something beyond an illustration... Ah, it's hard to explain!

Masahiro Fukui "Hibiscus"

Ogawa: It feels like the essence of hibiscus has been packed into this. You can almost feel the hibiscus in the color and strength.

Takaya: Exactly. What about you, Fumito?

Fumito: The circles are very soft, and rather than just being drawn in an ordinary way, it feels like the artist has drawn a circle of his own making.

Ogawa: Also, the use of color is really beautiful. The color scheme and contrast are crisp.

Takaya: That's right.

Ogawa: Sunflowers are also blue, yellow, and green.

Masahiro Fukui "Sunflowers"

Fumito: When I watch it, it makes me feel very happy, or rather, enriched.

Ogawa: Like a page from a fairy tale.

Takaya: That's true.

Fumito: It's a piece that makes you want to look at it every day. You never get tired of it, and it's a piece that you'll want to keep on display in your daily life.

Ogawa: So, I would like to hear about how this work was created! Today, we are connected remotely with Masahiro Fukui's mother, Taeko, and Mayumi Ina, vice president of Art Space Karafuru. Thank you for your time.

Taeko and Ina: Thank you very much.

Ogawa: What is Fukui Masahiro doing today?

Taeko: Are you going to the day care center as usual today?

Ogawa: You always have that kind of routine, don't you?

Taeko: Yes, that's true. Changing your usual schedule can cause some confusion. It affects not only you, but your family as well.

Takaya: That's true. It must be quite difficult to break that routine.

Taeko: It's very expensive.

Takaya: I heard that he didn't even attend big award ceremonies because he valued his routine, and I thought that was also a wonderful difference. When my older brother's routine, "Buratamori," came to an end, my mother kept telling him "Buratamori is coming to an end" for several months.

Fumito: Yes, I did!

Takaya: If we don't do that, they'll panic. So I can really understand how you feel. I'd love to visit your day care center someday and meet you in person!

Ogawa: I imagine that both you and your family members who support you have certain routines that are important to you, but what exactly is that routine?

Takaya: I’m curious.

Taeko-san: The schedule is roughly set for the week or month, and the day service varies depending on the day of the week. He goes to "Karaful" every Friday. In the monthly schedule, there are days to get a haircut and days to go to the dermatologist. If he doesn't know about those things in advance, he gets very upset. That's why he makes a detailed schedule of events for the month.

Fumito: Oh, by myself!

Taeko-san: It seems that it's difficult for people to accept a sudden event like an award ceremony, even if you tell them about it a month before. It's very, very difficult (laughs).

Takaya: Hehe. But that's good. Can I decide the date myself?

Taeko-san: That's right. My weekly schedule has been decided since I was little, so I have a very clear idea of ​​what days of the week I do them.

Ogawa: I see. Do you write down your schedule in some visible form, like a calendar?

Taeko: Yes, he does write. I had a monthly calendar stuck on the fridge and made a board where he could put his schedule on with magnets, but recently he seems to want to write on it himself. On Sundays he goes to the convenience store, so he's started saying "I'm going to the convenience store!" and the word "convenience store" has been increasing.

Takaya: That's right. It's called visual support, and my older brother also feels reassured when there are visual letters written on it. My older brother also goes to a group home, and there is a sticker on the door that says "Don't slam it hard!" But there are obvious marks of the door having been slammed hard!

Fumito: Ahhaha!

Takaya: That's why it's a common sight to see stickers stuck everywhere.

Ogawa: But that kind of routine can be disrupted if, for example, you catch a cold or a typhoon comes. What do you do in those situations?

Taeko: The other day, the heavy rain happened to be the day I was supposed to go to the day care center, but the area in front of our house was flooded, so the car couldn't come to pick them up. Even in times like these, parents have to take their child to the day care center no matter what, otherwise the child will get very confused. The day care center staff are very understanding of the situation, so they will look after the child if they are taken there. So, sudden typhoons, heavy rains, and snow are days when parents need to be active.

Takaya: Oh.

#Hibiscus Battle

Ogawa: So, Mr. Fukui, when did you start drawing?

Taeko-san: I don't remember much about drawing, but when I was really little, the order in which I used the crayon colors on the drawing paper was already decided. I would paint the colors in a sloppy way, and then paint black on top at the end, so it just looked like there was something black inside the drawing paper. That's why I had almost no interest in crafts, and I couldn't stack things like building blocks, and I could only line them up in parallel like dominoes.

Ogawa: Is that so? Nowadays there are so many of them, but how have they changed?

Taeko: I was hyperactive to begin with, and I liked places with water and high places, but by the time I started elementary school I started to calm down a little. So I started to try to do some crafts at home, and even if I couldn't draw well, I'd just pick up a brush and try to draw. But I don't think it took a long time to take shape.

Takaya: I see. I guess that was one of the reasons why you decided to join Ina-san's "Karaful"?

Fumito: That was also an encounter.

Taeko: Yes. He was a child who was very difficult to communicate with, so I wanted him to express himself. To achieve this, I tried using an alphabetical order chart, a whiteboard, and all sorts of gestures, and that's how I started to explore ways to communicate with him.

Takaya: Ina-san, what do you think Masahiro is like in "Karafuru"?

Ina: As his mother said, he has difficulty expressing what he wants to say in words, so he tries his best to speak, but we also ask him to write it down so that he can understand it. I wasn't participating at the time either, but Fukui-kun has been participating since "Karaful" was not yet an employment support facility, and the director, Eiko Seno, was teaching children as an art class. I remember hearing from the director that he started by copying.

Ogawa: Colorful started out as an ordinary classroom, but has grown into the facility it is today.

Ina: That's right. Senoo started the class by himself as an art class that was open to both children with and without disabilities, but the number of students gradually increased, and at times there were as many as 40 students. I heard that every exhibition was well-received, and the response grew, with people asking, "Who painted this picture?" and "I want to buy it."

Ogawa: As you watched Fukui, how did your style and drawings change?

Ina: Fukui-kun especially loves to paint flowers, so we always make sure to have a supply of those flowers on hand, and we prepare many different kinds so that we are perfectly prepared to welcome him!

Takaya: So, do you actually look at flowers while you draw them?

Ina: Yes. Sometimes it's fresh flowers, and sometimes it's artificial flowers. However, for over a year now, no flowers other than hibiscus have been chosen. You've really drawn a lot of pictures of hibiscus.

Takaya: Hibiscus is strong!

Fumito: He was the first draft pick.

Ina: You've painted many different kinds of flowers up until now, so I don't know why you're suddenly so strongly drawn to hibiscus.

Fumito: Are hibiscus often blooming in Tottori, or nearby?

Ina: I haven't heard anything about him having any particular memories of it. He just seems to like hibiscus flowers in particular. We tried to push the hibiscus a little further back and bring sunflowers, cosmos, and other flowers to the forefront. We suggested, "Why don't you try drawing this today?" but he said no (laughs). He said, "Hibiscus is good," so we reluctantly brought it out from the back. This went on for about a year, and we've already created about 50 hibiscus pieces.

Takaya: That’s nice.

Ina: Thinking back, I think that there were a lot of restrictions on his life during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was tiring to wear a mask. I wonder if that was also an expression of his desire to live a calm, unchanging life despite the restrictions. Recently, he has also started to draw other flowers.

Ogawa: It certainly does reflect the mood of the world.

Takaya: That may be true.

#The world blossoms through human connections

Ogawa: That hibiscus design is also featured on Heralbony merchandise, right?

Takaya: That's right! They're becoming a popular eco-bag right now.

Fumito: I have one too.

Ogawa: How did your mother feel when she saw the eco-bag? I think she was used to seeing Hibiscus's work, but when she saw it turned into merchandise, I wondered how she felt.

Taeko-san: It was just one word: "So cute!" (emphatically) There was no doubt about it!

Takaya: Hahaha! That's great! What was Masahiro's actual reaction?

Taeko-san: Actually, he doesn't like to talk about his art or products at other day care centers, with people saying things like, "I heard about it! That's great!" He doesn't like to talk about art or "Karaful" at home either.

Takaya: I want to complete it with just "Karafuru"!

Fumito: It's a magical space.

Ogawa: You seem to be the type of artist who, once you have released your work, entrusts it to those who have seen it.

Ina: At "Karaful", I asked Masahiro if I could take a commemorative photo with him holding the eco bag. He held it properly, looked at the camera, and agreed to the photo. That made me really happy.

Taeko: Yes, I was surprised!

Takaya: Please show us your photos next time! They're rare and valuable photos that you don't often get the chance to take.

Ina-san: That's right. I've also recently been thinking that he feels some joy in knowing that the people around him appreciate the work he draws. When I show him the finished product, I get the feeling that he receives it as a sign that the people around him are happy with it.

Takaya: Yes, yes.

Ina-san: So, before, even if one of my drawings won an award, I'd be like, "What's that?" But recently, there are people around him who try to understand what he draws, and when people around him say "That's nice" or "That's wonderful" to what he draws, he looks a little proud. The same can be said about his letters. The letters he writes have a slightly unique shape.

Ogawa: Wow.

Ina-san: When we can't hear what someone is saying well, we often tell him to "write it down." At that time, I think he feels that there are people around him who are trying to receive what he is saying while trying his best to communicate. I think that this is helping him to express himself more and more. Rather than leaving him alone because they don't understand what he is saying, by having people around him get involved and try to understand, I feel that he is gradually connecting with various people through pictures and letters.

Ogawa: Ah, that's wonderful. Communication is possible because you have both the desire to convey something and the desire to feel it. By the way, that means that "Karaful" has become a place for you to draw, but do you ever draw at home?

Taeko: There's nothing at all. At home, it's all about letters. Sometimes I can't hear the pronunciation, so I tell them to write it down if they don't understand. Letters are a way to live peacefully.

Ogawa: I see. Are there any rules that you follow at home?

Taeko: For example, when I read the morning newspaper, I cut out the part that interests me the most.

Takaya: What kinds of things do you usually cut out? I'm curious.

Taeko-san: There were some strange things cut out. Like "Expulsion Movement" or the single character "power".

Ogawa: Yeah!

Takaya: Ahahaha!

Taeko-san: I guess there are a lot of other aspects too, like, "I won't let my family read the newspaper!" (laughs)

Fumito: The newspaper is yours.

Taeko: Yes, that's how I start my day. I always make sure to get my own newspaper.

Takaya: I'm sure that means you really love letters too.

Taeko-san: I can't hear the pronunciation without the characters, so I have them write it down for me. And the characters are constantly changing. Lately, it's really crazy (laughs).

Takaya: Going berserk?!

Fumito: Strength and violence!

Taeko: The previous writing looked like this. (Taeko shows a piece of paper with writing on it) It was written in simple letters, "Chuden Fureai Hall," but about six months later, it looked a bit like this. (Taeko takes out another piece of paper with "Chuden Fureai Hall" written on it.)

Takaya: He's certainly starting to go wild.

Taeko: This is the most recent one. (Takes out another piece of paper.)

Ogawa: Ooooh!

Fumito: Chuden Fureai Hall is getting more and more crazy!

Taeko: It really has that live feel to it...

Ogawa: You write the same characters multiple times.

Taeko: There are characters I like, of course. Like places I want to go to. This one is something I've changed a bit recently. (Shows another piece of paper)

Takaya: Something red and lined up...

Ogawa: Does it say "something day"?

Taeko: I won! It says "Marine Day" on it.

Ogawa: Wonderful!

Takaya: That's great. It's like a quiz!

Taeko-san: This is related to the schedule, but it said "Marine Day is a day off." I kept repeating, "Marine Day is a day off! Mom is off on Marine Day!"

Takaya: That’s nice.

Taeko: Words are a way to express my feelings.

Ogawa: Shota, the older brother of the Matsuda brothers, also likes advertising and logos, right?

Takaya: I like it. I love the "sponsored" part of "This program is brought to you by a sponsor." (To Taeko) Do you understand?

Taeko: I love it!

Takaya: They're the same. I feel like they could become best friends. My brother and Masahiro.

Fumito: That's true. I really like show logos, so I had all the logos of big companies lined up in my notebooks.

Ogawa: The word that came up in that was "Heralbony," right?

Takaya: That's right. "Heralbony Heralbony" came out side by side.

Ogawa: By the way, how did you and HERALBONY meet?

Fumito: I was given the opportunity to speak at a lecture hosted by "Karafuru" and I had actually planned to go to Tottori, but I think the initial trigger was that it was held online in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ina-san: Yes. Every year, Karafuru holds an event called "Welfare x Art Weeks," where they display artworks around the shopping arcade, and we asked him to give a lecture at a forum that was held as part of the event.

Ogawa: That's how you became an artist with HERALBONY, and you're still here now. You've got an exhibition coming up, right? (※Currently finished)

Takaya: That's right! We will be holding an exhibition of Masahiro Fukui's work from July 22nd to September 10th at the Heralbony Gallery in Morioka, Iwate Prefecture. We hope that everyone from all over Japan will come and see Fukui's unique work up close. We expect to have around 20 pieces on display.

Ogawa: It's already a flower field.

Takaya: A hibiscus field.

Fumito: That might be a good name for the exhibition.

Takaya: That's true. I wonder if I could get Fukui-san to write "hibiscus" in his own handwriting. But, I think it would be best if he wrote what he wanted to write!

Ogawa: Listening to your talk today, your handwriting was really appealing. By the way, what other goods do you have besides eco bags?

Takaya: The handkerchiefs and the socks in collaboration with Disney. These are also really cute. And the postcards.

Ogawa: Thank you very much. I'm looking forward to the future developments of HERALBONY. So, it was really fun to hear about Fukui-san's routine and how he draws his works today!

Takaya: I'd be happy to meet Masahiro in person someday.

Taeko-san: Thank you very much. I would really like for him to come, but as a parent, if he can participate in society through his work, that is what I hope most for him. I look forward to your continued support.

Fumito: Thank you very much. I think there are many people who have been saved by your work, so I hope we can convey Fukui's thoughts together. I often guide people around the Heralbony gallery in Morioka, so I learned a lot!

Masahiro Fukui

His creative style is to look at motifs and catalogs and draw them. All the plants that catch his eye are warm. His works, drawn with a thick brush, are lovely and take the viewer to a gentle world. On the other hand, his works, which use the "Fukui font" boldly expressed with a magic pen, have a dignified atmosphere and bewilder the viewer's eyes.

"HERALBONY TONE FROM MUSEUM ~Listening Museum~" is now available for free

Based on the concept of "imagining the history of an unconventional artist through his art," this program listens closely to the art and touches upon the personality and life story of one "unconventional artist" that can be seen beyond his work.
The two MCs are Sara Ogawa, an actor, filmmaker and writer, and Takaya Matsuda, CEO of HERALBONY. Each episode focuses on a writer under contract with HERALBONY, and welcomes intellectually disabled writers, their families and welfare facility staff as guests.
It is available every Sunday on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music.
You can also enjoy back issues for free.

Apple Music
Google Podcasts
Spotify
Amazon Music