[Artist] TiFdyL

TiFdyL (also known as Taka Sudo) is a young Japanese-Canadian artist whose work and life spans two continents, deriving inspiration from both. This multidisciplinary artist currently splits his time between BC and Tokyo, keeping a home base in Whistler while spending a few months of every year in Japan. In addition to painting, illustration and clothing design, he works as a curator, organizing exhibits for independent artists on his trips to Japan. Over the years he has come to appreciate the differences between Japanese and Western artists as well as the unique challenges that come with selling work in both countries. “In my opinion,” TiFdyL says, “Japanese artists are more emotional. When making art, emotion comes first. In Canada artists pay more attention to beautiful detail, and technical skill comes first.” He also notes that relative to Canada, it’s difficult to sell original artwork in Japan. “When I have art shows in Japan, only tourists buy art” he notes with a grin. “People’s homes are too small; they have no room for paintings. More and more Japanese artists are moving towards design work.”

Over the past five years this movement towards illustration and design has become apparent in TiFdyL’s own art, manifesting itself in a line called LADE clothing. A collaboration with his business partner Yoshi Aida, TiFdyL describes this aspect of his work as “portable, wearable art.” Available at El Kartel, Ayden Gallery and online at ladestore.com, this line of graphic tees and hoodies for men and women is not only another creative outlet but also a way for him to gain visibility and accessibility for his creations. “If I make art on a canvas, it hangs in someone’s house and their friends, their family see it. If I make art for t-shirts people can go anywhere with it, anytime.”

TiFdyL’s confluence of techniques is most apparent in his recent paintings. He incorporates line work and typography that strongly reference illustrative work, and combines this with an eye for colour, movement, composition and materials that are more painterly. His mixed-media work on canvas and wood panels incorporates “almost every medium that there is,” he says. First comes a collage base containing “no meanings, no messages”—newspapers, magazine pages and his own photography, hand-picked with more of an eye for shade and colour than content. On top of this he layers on everything from acrylic, spray and latex paints to markers and inks. TiFdyL prefers to leave the interpretation of text and image up to the viewer. He describes his bulbous-headed, neon characters as “nobody but anybody with any types of feelings, emotions, characters sometimes this guy, sometimes that guy, sometimes me.” Even for him, the identity of any particular character or piece develops slowly over the creative process and is fully realized only when complete. “I wantto make people happy with my artwork,” he says. “People can decide for themselves if there is a deeper message.”

Every once in a while, however, a particular work will necessitate a more direct and specific intent—and happiness becomes a message with roots far beyond the surface. TiFdyL took a private order last spring from a woman in Belgium, a large-scale piece for her newly-purchased home. After a month spent discussing the specifics of the commission, he received an email containing disastrous news. His client had been struggling through a long battle with cancer. Things had been looking up and she was planning a new start to life—with a new apartment and a new marriage—when her health suddenly took a turn for the worse and she passed away. Asked to complete the painting, TiFdyL felt the need more than ever to make something beautiful that would be a celebration of the strength and vitality that she possessed while alive, helping her husband find the strength to get himself through the dark days ahead.

Looking forward, TiFdyL plans to continue experimenting with the possibilities of his current aesthetic while always looking for a new styles to explore. He wants to diversify his work by collaborating with artists in other genres – from musicians to photographers and filmmakers, with a specific interest in writing movie scripts. Two years ago he collaborated with Masao, the web curator of tokyomade.com to produce Fragment, a showcase of international artists located in Tokyo. In the future, he plans to return to this concept, bringing Canadian artists to Japan and Japanese artists to Canada. His strongest inspirations are the creative people that he’s met in his travels, and hopes that he can help his peers benefit from this same international exposure.

2008 was a big year—some of his notable exhibits include Brave Art in Whistler, Ayden Gallery’s Equilibrium, two solo shows at HANJIRO in Kyoto and a showing of work at Pemberton Festival last summer. So far, 2009 has brought TiFdyL to Vancouver for multiple exhibits including Blood, Guts and Gore at The Fall, Big Hearts Art Show at Chapel Arts and a solo exhibit, Fluorescent Desire, at New Vintage Kicks—a rare chance for his fans to see a solo show in Canada. With 17 exhibits under his belt within the past two years and a future full of ambitious goals, TiFdyL has what seems to be the perfect balance of talent, experience and ambition to succeed in the international art market and make his dreams a reality.

www.tifdyl.com
www.ladeclothing.com

Words: Shallom Johnson