Mako

I'm currently in NYC... visiting my brother, working on my thesis, and seeing friends.

There is something magical about this city... some kind of spirit unknown to other cities. And I wonder, how did it become this way? How did it get to be the city where "it" all begins?

I've decided it's almost a shame to come here for less than a week. In my case it is simple, I have a brother who welcomes me in with a free place to stay... and a hat full of wonderful places to eat delicious things such as arepas.

But this week might be special... I am hoping to meet one of the more influential artists in the past 2 years, Makoto Fujimura. Here is an excerpt from a paper I wrote about him:

Mako, as his friends call him, use to revere art as “our definition of God” (Fujimura, 2007, p. 6). And then his wife started attending church, and so he went, reluctantly. He came to know the missionaries at the church and was intrigued by them, he saw that they were convinced of the reality of Christ. Fujimura was conflicted, because the more he sought internal discipline, and to know himself, the less he could possess outward love. He saw that these missionaries had both inward and outward love, as well as a refreshing and honest view of themselves. But there were still many things he disagreed with in the Bible, and stated that he could not become a Christian. Then one day Mako read a 120 page long poem by William Blake, and his allegiance shifted from Art to Christ. He came to find that Art would not sustain his relationship to others and God, but that in Christ Mako would find his true identity in his Creator. In response to this conversion, he began The Twin Rivers series. He calls them his “transfer of allegiance” paintings (Fujimura, 2007). At the completion of these paintings, Professor Matazo Kayama, his advisor and a celebrated Japanese artist of the Nihonga tradition, found favor in the eyes of Mako’s work. Kayama noted, there is “no question about your sensibility to the tradition and materials, just avoid being too religious with your works” (Fujimura, 2007, p.11). I wondered if Mako faces this kind of hesitation often in regards to his faith? So I asked him, “How often, if ever, do you receive a negative reaction to your faith?” He responded gracefully, saying, “The negative reactions are often muted exclusions from the main stream… I believe that when I pray, ‘Thy Will be done’, I am asking God to close doors as well as open them… so I do not see it as a negative to be ignored and excluded… I am creating a unique niche that only my unique makeup and training can create. In that sense, an artist needs to be always willing to be a misfit” (M. Fujimura, personal communication, April 30, 2009). Makoto is proud of his faith, and if he is not heard, he is not off-put, but simply shakes the dust off his feet and keeps moving. This is what Jesus’ disciples did when they were expelled from their region (Acts 13:50-52).

Here is an image of his art



For more, go to makotofujimura.com...

He is an amazing artist, with an amazing desire to transform our world, and I might get to meet him this week!