Art and Music Video: Fumiyo Yoshikawa x Sizzle Ohtaka

This is an art and music video by the musician Sizzle Ohtaka and the artist Fumiyo Yoshikawa. 

Yoshikawa's recent work, a series of 16 paintings, "Every Life Matters,” was inspired by a set of four scrolls created in the 12th -13th century in Japan, entitled “Choujugiga” or “Animal Caricatures.” The first scroll of Chojugiga shows animals such as frogs, rabbits, monkeys and foxes playing games and simulating human rituals. 

Yoshikawa felt Tobanosoujou, who is believed to be the artist of the first scroll of Chojugiga had great affection towards all of these animals. At the same time, this comical and humorous scroll brings to her mind human hierarchy and discrimination in a way that is both timely and timeless. Yoshikawa created the series of 16 paintings, “Every Life Matters,” dreaming of of a peaceful world in which every living thing enjoys life equally and each respects the other.

Drawing her inspiration from the Choujugiga, Yoshikawa painted various animals: big animals, small animals; prey and predator; popular and unpopular - each of them imagined with equal affection.  Each work has a story with a sense of the seasons and a hint of Shinto, Zen or Japanese folklore.  

A detailed description of each painting in “Every Life Matters” can be found on Fumiyo Yoshikawa’s Facebook pages, as well as on her Instagram account, Art of Fumiyo Yoshikawa. 

Instagram:   https://www.instagram.com/art_of_fumiyo_yoshikawa/

Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/Sumie.Nihonga.Mixedmedia

“Sizzle Ohtaka has composed and performed the music that accompanies the paintings of “Every Life Matters.”  Her song “IKOR” has as its central motif the word “ikoro,” which is an Ainu word meaning treasure.  “Nothing comes down [to earth] without any role” is an Ainu proverb that is woven in as an interlude chorus.  Ohtaka and Yoshikawa worked together to produce this video — A Song of Life — melding their music and art.”

Music: 

IKOR 

Lyrics, composition, vocal and chorus 

by Sizzle Ohtaka 

Arrangement by Jyoji Sawada 

Musicians: Choro Club 

Guitar by Shigeharu Sasago 

Contrabass by Jyoji Sawada 

Bandolim by Oh Akioka 

Sizzle Ohtaka 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVnVhzIyBtgdO6G6XxALrkg

Website:http://sizzle-ohtaka.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100036255038140

Art: 

The series of 16 paintings“Every Life Matters” 

Background paintings 

“Yume no Kakera / Piece of Dream” 

"Organic Mind"

“Blessing Rain” 

Photographs 

Video editing

By Fumiyo Yoshikawa

Special Thanks to: Michael Yochum

for presenting the series of “Every Life Matters”

at Arc Gallery, San Francisco, California

Exhibition dates: 

August 28 - October 9, 2021

https://www.arc-sf.com/foursquared-2021.html

Art and Music Video, A Song of Life, 2021

Produced by

Fumiyo Yoshikawa