Interview with TERASHIMA Yuki (YUKI-SIS), Producer of SAKAKIBARA Sumito’s New Project “Children’s Hymn”

First, please give us a brief self-introduction and explain your gallery, YUKI-SIS.

TERASHUIMA Yuki (hereafter, TERASHIMA): I am the owner of a gallery called YUKI-SIS, located in Nihonbashi, Tokyo. I have hosted five solo exhibitions for SAKAKIBARA Sumito at YUKI-SIS in the past, and through that connection, I came to serve as the producer for his new work.

YUKI-SIS is a gallery I opened independently in 2012 after working at Delta Mirage and Gallery Tsubaki. Our primary operations include holding solo and group exhibitions focusing on contemporary artists from Japan and abroad, participating in domestic and international art fairs and events, and coordinating the creation of works (commissioned works) to be installed in hotels and other locations. We have no particular restrictions on the media we handle, including painting, photography, sculpture, and animation.

For readers who are not familiar with the buying and selling of art, could you briefly explain how the gallery system works?

TERASHIMA: In Japan, there are “rental galleries” and “commercial galleries.” Rental galleries are operated by renting out space to artists for a fee. Commercial galleries, on the other hand, have two types of sales formats: “primary” (the first-hand market) and “secondary” (the second-hand market). While both involve the gallery taking the lead in planning exhibitions, primary galleries operate by taking works directly from the artists, selling them, and sharing the proceeds. In contrast, the secondary business model involves sourcing works from auctions, dealer exchanges, or individual clients to resell. Some commercial galleries handle both, while others focus on just one. YUKI-SIS deals exclusively in the primary market.

Besides SAKAKIBARA, what other artists do you represent at YUKI-SIS?

TERASHIMA: Representative examples include contemporary woodcut artist YUASA Katsutoshi, YANAGIDA Yukiko, who creates two-dimensional works on titanium substrates, oil painter SHINDO Kyoko, wood sculptor OTSUKA Tohru, and acrylic sculptor KAWASAKI Kohei. For two-dimensional works, I could also mention KOBAYASHI Tomoyo, KUROSAKA Mai, and MIYAOKA Toshio.

What was the catalyst for you to start handling SAKAKIBARA’s work?

TERASHIMA: In 2012, I planned a woodcut exhibition for YUASA Katsutoshi, and our first meeting occurred when Mr. Yuasa introduced him to me. I believe they were together at the Royal College of Art in the UK. On that occasion, SAKAKIBARA gave me a DVD of Flow (2005), which won the Grand Prize in the Animation Division of the Japan Media Arts Festival, and it was truly wonderful. That is when I reached out to him.

What do you find appealing about SAKAKIBARA’s work?

TERASHIMA: When I first saw his animation, I felt, “So this is how the world is connected.” His animations, which unfold slowly like an emaki (picture scroll), depict a world where various events occur simultaneously, capturing the drifting sadness, beauty, and cruelty with a consistently bird’s-eye view—possessing a stillness that is almost spiritual. A vast number of characters repeat looping movements to form a great flow of time, constructing a single beautiful world as a whole. There are works I have watched more than a hundred times, yet I find something new every time; I never tire of them at all.

Furthermore, SAKAKIBARA is an artist who experiments with various forms of expression beyond animation, including two-dimensional art, manga, live-action film, puppet performances, and even performances similar to Ainu rituals. He possesses a wide range of interests and knowledge in fields such as folklore, mythology, biology, astronomy, and religion, which may be the source of the complex appeal of his work.

There are artists like SAKAKIBARA who work across both contemporary art and film, or artists like TABAIMO who are active in the art field using animation. How do you view the relationship between contemporary art and animation?

TERASHIMA: Actually, before I stepped into the art world, I was in the world of live-action film. I worked as an assistant to AGATA Morio and was involved in the management of the Mt. Hakodate Ropeway Film Festival (now the Hakodate Port Illuminacion Film Festival). My experiences during my time in film form the core of my current aesthetic sense. My current work is an extension of that, and I have a sense that the fundamental beauty I seek remains the same, regardless of whether the medium is art, film, music, or literature. Therefore, I might not think of them as being severed into categories like “contemporary art” or “animation.” While the industry systems may differ, I don’t believe those serve as fundamental boundaries. SAKAKIBARA was the first animation artist YUKI-SIS handled, but looking back, I think I perceived his animation as something continuous with fine art from the very beginning.

Even so, it seems there are situations where video works are difficult to sell or require a different approach or mindset compared to fine art…

TERASHIMA: It is exactly as you say. Much like photography, video and animation have become so familiar in daily life that the awareness of them as “something to own by paying a high price” hasn’t fully permeated. For example, while people might readily spend tens or hundreds of thousands of yen on a flat work, someone willing to spend tens of thousands of yen on an animation rarely appears. I feel that is a challenge I must constantly consider when supporting animation artists from a gallery perspective.

I haven’t found a definitive answer for an effective way to sell them, but previously, when I participated in an art fair held in Seattle, we exhibited SAKAKIBARA’s original drawings in a Mutoscope—a primitive visual toy similar to a flipbook—and it was a huge success, drawing long lines. Therefore, I believe that if the mechanism for drawing the customer’s interest works well, there is plenty of potential for animation artists to attract attention in the art world.

SAKAKIBARA has a very rich imagination, and the Mutoscope was his idea. So, including the sales methods, I want to continue exploring these possibilities hand-in-hand with him.

You spoke about the episode at the art fair, but it seems there is a difference in the criteria for evaluating works between art fairs/festivals and animation film festivals. How do you feel about that?

TERASHIMA: I believe both have their own distinct merits. Art fairs and art festivals allow people to stop by booths casually, so I feel they have an advantage in terms of visibility. On the other hand, the length of stay tends to be shorter, which might make it difficult for people to deeply understand video works like short animations. Nevertheless, because of that casualness, there are accidental encounters, which I believe can lead some customers to want to know more about the work or the artist. It’s a trade-off.

On the other hand, regarding film festivals, I feel the hurdle to participate is higher (compared to art fairs or art festivals) when considering the time commitment and financial burden, but many in the audience come with the mindset of “I’m going to engage deeply with the work.” Also, the environment of watching in the darkness of a cinema is ideal for connecting deeply with a work and understanding its essence. Furthermore, as a result of what I just mentioned, since film festivals make it easier to deepen understanding of the work, I feel that horizontal connections—whether between artists or even among the audience—are more likely to be formed through the work.

From your perspective, what is the unique appeal of the animation format?

TERASHIMA: Animation is an expression where you can directly feel the world inside the artist’s head, and that is what I find appealing. Between the tension of not knowing what will happen next and the anticipation, I feel a sense of being unexpectedly drawn into the artist’s world. Conversely, I feel I can immediately tell if a work doesn’t suit my tastes (laughs).

In contrast, with two-dimensional art, sculpture, or photography, the viewer needs to actively approach the work in order to understand it. I believe that precious experiences and emotions are born in the process of pulling closer the connection between oneself and the work. Personally, I think that is where it differs from animation, which involves the viewer almost against their will.

That said, there are commonalities between animation and art. That is, in a good work, while viewing it, something like a chemical reaction occurs in the brain, leading you to think about things not directly related to the work or connecting with personal sensations and memories, creating a complex, layered emotion. I believe that such an experience is the true pleasure of engaging with art.

While you have been involved in the process of creating art from the perspective of a gallerist, we understand that this is your first time producing a film. The production of Children’s Hymn will likely begin in earnest from here, but how do you want to approach film production in the future?

TERASHIMA: First of all, as a major premise, I want to properly accompany SAKAKIBARA until his new work is completed. Beyond just staying close to the production, I hope to responsibly support him all the way to delivering the work to the audience, such as through exhibitions at art fairs and museums, or developing it as two-dimensional works after its completion. I want to try various ideas, even those that might seem like long shots. I believe there are challenges that can be taken precisely because I don’t know the common sense of the industry. I have had many such experiences in the art world.

As a producer, I want to be like the “glue” that connects people. I want to increase the number of people who understand the appeal of SAKAKIBARA as an artist even by one person, and deliver the work to them. I believe doing so will ultimately lead to SAKAKIBARA’s next opportunity. His next work is planned to be the final part of a trilogy. I will do my best to convey the brilliance of his work to as many people as possible.