Japanese artist Fantasista Utamaro has partnered with Glenfiddich to celebrate the launch of the limited edition Grand Yozakura 29-year-old scotch whisky with a series of digital artworks. As an artist, director, and designer, Uta’s approach to creativity varies greatly from project to project, giving him the freedom to explore different ideas and topics. He is part of a new generation of young Japanese artists who defy classic boundaries and genres within the art community. Touching on celebration, culture, and freedom, he uses his imagination as the first and foremost tool — and lures people into his world.
The series of four artworks are designed to bring to life the beauty of Japanese culture through motifs and symbols. Evoking a sense of fleetingness, the four artworks rotate each week, mirroring the fleeting beauty of a cherry blossom in full bloom.
Utamaro says: “Creating this art, that showcases the beauty of Japanese culture, has been an honour. I like to push the boundaries of what people expect from traditional art; blending technicolour and manga-style to bring Japanese symbols of culture to life. I enjoyed using these digital artworks to represent elements of the Scottish and Japanese processes used to create the whisky itself such as the inclusion of the iconic Glenfiddich stag head incorporated with Yozakura.”
The installation is available in select airports:
Taiwan, Taoyuan International Airport until 31st July
Hong Kong International Airport until 30th June
You can find Uta’s virtual gallery here.
We had the honour of speaking with Utamaro about his recent project with Glenfiddich, digital art process, and the connection between art and technology.
And now for the interview…
When did you start creating digital art?
I started creating digital art when I was studying at university, where I began working on film projects. Although I was studying fashion and textile design, I became fascinated with the process of weaving, where threads come together to form fabric. I found deep beauty in the concept of different elements combining to create something new. This inspired me to explore time-lapse photography and animation, and I acquired a Mac to pursue digital art expression. That’s when my journey into digital art began.
What does your work in general represent?
I have a love for patterns because they are endless and boundless artworks. In this world, everything has limitations – our lives, our stomachs, landscape photos, paintings! However, patterns represent the endless creativity of human beings. Our imagination knows no bounds and continues infinitely. I believe this closely relates to envisioning the future. I see it as a mission for artists to weave a wonderful future.
How did you end up working with Glenfiddich, and what initially excited you about working on the Grand Yozakura campaign?
Grand Yozakura is the first single malt Scotch whisky to be finished in exceptionally rare ex-Awamori casks (a Japanese spirit) and the packaging is inspired by hanami (the Japanese tradition of observing fleeting beauty through cherry blossoms). For Japanese people, seeing cherry blossoms marks the beginning of spring and a new start so it was a great honour to create the artwork for this campaign. I wanted to create artwork that evokes the excitement of seeing cherry blossoms while nodding to the nostalgia, as a Japanese person, that they bring; a feeling and memory that so many from Japan share.
Yozakura means the viewing of cherry blossoms when they’re illuminated at night. I wanted to express the emotional movements of the moment when one sees cherry blossoms at night as animations; cherry blossoms spreading across the night sky and dancing on lakes and rivers. The trees possess a cultural significance that is essential to the beautiful landscapes symbolising Japan so I wanted to create something that captures the aesthetics of cherry blossoms to the fullest extent possible.
What was the process like of working with the brand, and have you ever done something like that before?
Glenfiddich and Nexus Studio were very supportive of my ideas which made the production process very smooth. I have collaborated with various brands in the past but this collaboration really allowed me to combine my heritage with the rewarding experience of exploring new expressions through animation.
What was the process of creating the work like?
The concept was to transform the time-lapse process of painting into an animation. As a conventional time-lapse animation wouldn’t be interesting enough, I experimented with a unique approach where the time-lapse expands as a pattern in a visual representation. I first recorded the artwork process as a time-lapse on an iPad, drawing each layer separately. Through meticulous experimentation with those materials, an animation that gives the impression of infinite paintings being created emerged.
What do you hope viewers take away from interacting with the art?
Overall, art is about how we perceive things. I define the concept of art as contemplating and questioning our world. Art holds remarkable capabilities; allows us to re-examine our surroundings and lives from an objective perspective. By experiencing art, we can make numerous discoveries which prompt unforeseen imaginations within the viewer. When people engage with art, they can gain inspiration that is often absent in their everyday lives. In other words, it’s a process of introspection for each person, to look within themselves. Regardless of how societal norms may change, every person has their own significant presence and engaging with art is an opportunity to revaluate oneself. It provides a chance to express gratitude for oneself and the environment that surrounds us.
What is your opinion on the future where art and technology merge?
I believe that art and technology are like water and oil, existing as separate entities. Art has the nature of expressing the movements of the heart that cannot be verbalised, while technology is used to enhance the development of various events expressed by humans. Art is about the heart, while technology is about the hands. Therefore, I believe that by successfully integrating the two, new methods of expression will continue to emerge in the future.
