At Jardins des Fleurs, the retail shop Azuma operates on a quiet backstreet in Tokyo’s Aoyama district, an unassuming steel staircase at the entrance leads to a completely refrigerated subterranean space more reminiscent of a lab than a florist’s studio. So I interpret it for myself, but there are things I cannot compromise on. Yes I travel a lot these days so I get to discover many kinds of plants and flowers. We have so many things and we want so many things. Ein Gletscher für den Dialoggarer, eine Wüste für den Backofen, ein See für das Induktionskochfeld und einen Regenwald für den Combi-Dampfgarer. “Frozen Flowers” by Japanese artist Makoto Azuma.This breathtaking piece is from 2018, but as we head into winter here in the Northern hemisphere, it feels very appropriate! For me Tokyo is really more like a work place, not a place where I find inspiration. Gasp! Photography: Gui Martinez Interview: Antonia Märzhäuser Translation: Saka Matsushita. Azuma, who founded the high-end store Jardins des Fleurs in Tokyo in 2002, began staging ambitious feats of flower art under the experimental studio–cum–research institute called Azuma Makoto Kaju Kenkyujo (AMKK) in 2008. Yet, he also often crosses the borders of his hometown to travel the world, exhibiting, performing, and discovering new types of flowers or plants. Um etwas zu kreieren, das einen echten Einfluss auf die Menschheit hat. I met this guy when I was in Amazonas, he was 70 years old and had been studying flowers for 40 years and he said he only knows approximately 30% of the Amazonas plants. Making music is creating a piece of work by layering this process, so I guess it is very similar to flowers. Flowers are not forever, they last for a certain amount of time and that thought feeds my creativity. And his list of clients attests to his approach. It’s also a link to Azuma and his wildly imaginative floristry. Bob Hambly. I’m sure you’ve seen this artist’s work before, perhaps his “Botanical Space Flight” {flowers in space… seriously}. Tokyo is not really fun for me anymore. Are you interested in art in general where works are built for eternity? So you see yourself somehow relating to Ikebana as a genuine Japanese tradition? Can you imagine working with something else other than flowers? This final icy installation is absolutely stunning, but wait, there’s more! It is more about meeting this particular flower with this particular feeling and the fact that I meet this flower in a particular moment, that is what fascinates me and that is why I think I use flowers as my medium of choice. I think it is impossible to get to know anywhere near all the flowers in the world. We are selling time in a way, the changing process is part of it along with the question of time. The studio has been compared to Jurassic Park meets Willie Wonka.. Like Dr. Dolittle talks to the animals, Makoto communicates with flowers. This is very much my approach. I was playing in a rock band and I saw a lot of similarities between music and flowers, especially in regards to their temporary qualities. That is why we have to talk a lot. But what first appears as a sterile studio slowly reveals itself as a place designed for requirements of his working material: lighting, humidity and temperature are optimized and there is music playing that is hardly noticeable to the human senses; composed for the wellbeing of the flowers. You grew up in Fukuoka what does this city mean to you? azuma makoto is a japanese flower artist who pioneered the genre of the 'botanical sculpture'. While the name may evoke romantic associations with Southern France, upon entry it becomes instantly clear that Azuma-san breaks with this notion radically. Posted in Art SIte, Portraits Tagged Artsite, Flowers, Makoto Azuma, Portraits Continue Reading. If you could choose a place to realize a sculpture somewhere in Tokyo where would that be? You are also doing a lot of client work. Makoto Azuma Ein weltweit einzigartiger Blumenkünstler. Since we as humans use that to create an artwork, I really wanted to include something man-made in contrast. As you probably know Japan has a famous tradition of flower art called Ikebana and so a lot of people think in a very conservative way about flowers. Azuma Makoto, the artist and botanical sculptor known for his breathtakingly beautiful and daring floral arrangements, started out in the Tokyo music scene playing bass in a rock band.But eventually, he was drawn to the siren song of flowers: first, with a job as a trader in a flower market, then, by opening his own shop, Jardins des Fleurs, in 2001. Makoto Azuma World-renowned Artist Based in Tokyo, Makoto’s exclusive flower boutique is the epicentre of his creative experimentation. Once you turn away from the big intersections, you will find yourself in a maze of little streets, tiny shops and residential houses. Posted on 19/09/2010 19/03/2019 Author alessio guarino Posted in Art SIte, Portraits Tagged Artsite, Flowers, Makoto Azuma, Portraits. While the name may evoke romantic associations with Southern France, upon entry it becomes instantly clear that Azuma-san breaks with this notion radically. We enjoyed listening to his latest travel adventures in the heart of the Amazonas while sipping tea in his little sanctuary, forgetting about the concrete jungle surrounding us for a moment. Tokyo’s charm lies in its ability to create space where there is no space. Warum? Exposé #14: Azuma Makoto, flower artist from Tokyo, Japan. The studio JARDINS des FLEURS is located in the heart of Tokyo. Makoto is a Japanese artist who works in the unusual medium of flowers, growing them, sometimes splicing them and otherwise affecting their development, and … Every flower is very different, even if it is all red roses. How did former Japanese punk rocker, Azuma Makoto, become a world renown flower artist? Where do you draw your inspiration from in a concrete jungle like Tokyo? I am very tired of being surrounded by so many things. JARDINS des FLEURS is a laboratory filled with objects that you would expect to see next to an operating table rather than a flower bouquet. It is not that I wanted to overcome this but whatever I did it just happened to overcome it. Botanical sculpture is simply something that is produced through my creative work, but it is actually the process of creating a work of art which is made of plants and flowers that have precious lives with short life cycle, and it turns into something like a sculpture by being arranged by a human being. “Ich habe eine tiefe, intuitive Verbindung zu Blumen. Botanical sculpture is simply something that is produced through my creative work, but it is actually the process of creating a work of art which is made of plants and flowers that have precious lives with short life cycle, and it turns into something like a sculpture by being arranged by a human being. I’m sure you’ve seen this artist’s work before, perhaps his “Botanical Space Flight” {flowers in space… seriously}. Makoto kreierte vier verschiedene Blumeninstallationen – jede einzelne sowohl von der elementaren Technologie des jeweiligen Küchen-Einbaugerätes als auch von natürlichen Landschaften inspiriert. Absolutely. Japanese artist Makoto Azuma has built a career from a "new genre of art" that blends plants with artificial mediums to strikingly beautiful effect. P. VOTE FOR ME | ELECTIONS IN JAPAN. Als Sohn eines Koches hat Makoto seinem Vater oft bei der Arbeit zugesehen und gleichzeitig großen Respekt und Begeisterung für diese Profession entwickelt: „Kochen ist große Kunst und sehr ähnlich zur Blumenkunst. On my recent trip to Tokyo, I was lucky enough to be invited by Perrier-Jouet to the studio of Floral artist Azuma Makoto. It’s very different from, for example, catching a moment in a photograph. Studio Sunday: Azuma Makoto Today on Studio Sunday let’s take a look inside the studio of Azuma Makoto. Creativity Through Botanical Sculpture by Makoto Azuma. Das Epizentrum seines kreativen Schaffens ist seine exklusive Blumen-Boutique in Tokio. I feel like if I combine it with a man-made object, the flowers become even more beautiful. We don’t really need things to ‘stay’ I think. For more information about current exhibitions and projects please take a look at their website. The reason why I have my base in Tokyo is because Tokyo has the best flower market in the world. Aber auch, Menschen zu bereichern. Acclaimed flower artist and pioneer in the field of botanical sculpture, Azuma Makoto created a flower installation to celebrate the opening weekend at Japan House … I’m not really interested in painting. Weil er von ihrer Zerbrechlichkeit fasziniert ist und dieses empfindliche Medium leidenschaftlich gerne nutzt, um Grenzen auszutesten und zu überschreiten. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For me this makes more sense than planning and researching everything. Die Blumen exakt anzuordnen und währenddessen mit ihnen zu kommunizieren versetzt Makoto in einen meditativen Zustand. "Es ist wichtig, sich wohl zu fühlen. Makoto Azuma. Die Ergebnisse sind Kombinationen von Farben und Texturen, die Welten darstellen, die sich vorher nie jemand hätte vorstellen können. Was there a certain point when you realized that you wanted to work with flowers? From flowers locked in ice to space-age pine trees, Japanese artist Makoto Azuma has built a career from a "new genre of art" that blends plants with artificial mediums to strikingly beautiful effect. Many artists work with a variety of materials, they go from oil to ink and so on. I do both but I prefer to go with an empty mind and just deal with the situation over there. One of the artworks that I liked most are your flower sculptures with the technical elements attached. Working with a client first of all means having a lot of meetings. It is a collaboration so we have to talk a lot and communicate our ideas. Since I was little I was surrounded by flowers, the flowers my mum had in the house were all very Japanese. Basically I only work with brands that I personally really like. Ob in meinem Studio in Tokyo oder auf meinen Reisen – Blumen spielen immer eine Rolle in meinem täglichen Leben.“. Gasp! This combination really draws the attention to the beauty of nature and this is what I want to show. I guess I am not interested in things that will leave something behind. Was that a perspective you had to overcome? N. T・STOMACH HOUSE. “The beauty of flowers comes with changing the context”, he explains, referring to his apparatus-like sculptures where he augments the flower by using industrial materials and devices. Where does this fascination for combining flowers with materials like steel come from? This is the studio of flower artist Azuma Makoto. This final icy installation is absolutely stunning, but wait, there’s more! In his work Azuma investigates the life-cycle of flowers from the moment of planting through to decomposition, adding sensitivity to the ikebana tradition of listening to flowers. Azuma is not just a flower artist at studio AMKK, but also a businessman and owner of the flower shop Jardin des Fleurs. When I saw this place I really thought, I want to do something here. While in the studio I stumbled on his series of prints from his Distortion & Flowers projects and immediately was attracted by these visuals. In diesem Moment ist er vollkommen ruhig und kann seiner Kreativität freien Lauf lassen. Acclaimed flower artist and pioneer in the field of botanical sculpture, Azuma Makoto created a flower installation to celebrate the opening weekend at Japan House London from Friday 22 June to Sunday 24 June 2018. Trotz allem verlässt er auch oft seine Heimatstadt, um die Welt zu bereisen, seine Kunst auszustellen und vorzuführen oder neue Blumen und Pflanzen zu entdecken. Das Epizentrum seines kreativen Schaffens ist seine exklusive Blumen-Boutique in Tokio. Makoto Azuma Ein weltweit einzigartiger Blumenkünstler Das Epizentrum seines kreativen Schaffens ist seine exklusive Blumen-Boutique in Tokio. Fukuoka is an amazing place, you have a lot of nature and nice weather. I can‘t say it doesn‘t affect me, but I never think about it in a conscious way. I was shocked! 411 talking about this. Having collaborated with only the most notable fashion brands and holding an exhibition with Dries Van Noten at the museum for Les Arts Decoratifs in Paris, he still finds time to travel to the most remote places in order to find unknown plants. Find out more about Azumas work here. In the case of Tokyo however, there is one trait that permeates everything: density. In around 2005 Azuma adopted a new form of flower arranging which he called botanical sculpture. No not really, I really feel like flowers are the most beautiful piece of art you can have, especially in our modern society. Our work here is not only about creating something and then giving it to somebody, the story continues and that’s the fun part about working with flowers. I never thought about it in this way though. Er ist ständig dabei, Grenzen zu setzen, um sie dann wieder zu verschieben. If I need a certain flower from abroad I can always ask them and I can have it here in Japan. Of course I need to know the brand image well. Some of my favorites are botanical sculptor Makoto Azuma and photographer Shiinoki Shunsuketo, the partners behind the Tokyo floral shop Jardin des Fleurs. Artists. It may have its roots in the job that he took at Tokyo’s Ota Flower market to help pay the bills while he was a struggling musician. ", Ein weltweit einzigartiger Blumenkünstler. The client is asking me to work with them because they believe that I am able to capture their image well. I always try to explore new things that I don‘t know. Can you give us an insight into how you would approach a client like Dries van Noten who you are collaborating with at the moment? Wenn man den renommierten Künstler Azuma Makoto fragt, was seine größte Inspiration ist, wird er, ohne zu zögern, antworten: „Die Natur“. Wenn man Großes bewirken möchte, braucht man ein Werkzeug, dem man vertrauen kann. Creativity Through Botanical Sculpture by Makoto Azuma. Makotos Werke haben ihren Ursprung in der „Ikebana“ – der traditionellen japanischen Kunst, Blumen zu arrangieren. Flowers and plants are very natural things. Azuma Makoto (東 信 Azuma Makoto, born on 24 July 1976) is a Japanese floral artist, botanical sculptor and co-founder of flower shop Jardins des Fleurs. When you go abroad do you follow a certain idea or do you just explore the place, open to whatever you encounter? Zu kreieren, das einen echten Einfluss auf die Menschheit hat behind the Tokyo floral Jardin... Reisen – Blumen spielen immer eine Rolle in meinem täglichen Leben. “ things makoto azuma studio can t... Upon entry it becomes instantly clear that Azuma-san breaks with this notion radically asking me to with. General where works are built for eternity if you could choose a place to a. Am not interested in Art SIte, Portraits continue Reading of nature nice... 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