In response: Toshiaki Noda / In response: Toshiaki Noda

Toshiaki Noda – (A small body of ceramic sculpture completed a few months ago)

I believe art always matters to us regardless of the time in which we live. It matters even when we are in a crisis like this. I believe there are more important things in our daily lives that come before, however art is the essential part of us no matter who you are. It has been a part of every human culture and society and makes our days brighter by stimulating our minds and moving us. It is a spiritually rich experience. I would be thirsty and dried up without making, or seeing art. For some of us, art may be needed even more during a crisis.

I have no access to the communal ceramic studio during this time so I’m not making clay works. I can spend more time thinking about my future ceramic works and doing sketches. I have also wanted to experiment with different materials and to work on different mediums. Because I’ve been prioritizing ceramics I can now use this time to work on non-ceramic mediums and/or mixed media works combined with ceramics. I don’t yet know the specific materials I will use, or how I’ll use them, but I will figure it out.

Location: Toshiaki Noda was born in 1982 in Arita, Saga Prefecture, Japan. He lives and works in Queens, NY.

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We’re all deeply concerned how this crisis is affecting so many lives, loved ones and communities throughout the world. I’ve tried many times to find words to express something meaningful, only to find with each attempt I come up woefully bankrupt. Maybe it’s because what I want to say, all the comfort I want to impart is better expressed by the experience art can offer, whether visual, performing, literary, music …

With this view, I’ve asked the artists I work with to offer their views of whether art matters in times of crisis? Also to comment upon how their art & art practice has been altered. I’ll be presenting those responses along with any other thoughts they wish to share on a weekly basis. Images of their recent or in-process work are also included, sometimes amounting to a full exhibition, other times details, sketches, candid moments.
Please enjoy, stay safe, stay healthy!!

Thank you Julia Couzens for your generous assistance with this project!!