21 Under 31: Young Artists to Watch in 2018: Moritaka Suzuki

Australia

Moritaka Suzuki, Vanguard, digital painting.

Moritaka Suzuki, Vanguard, digital painting.

Art Education: I initially started my studies at a university in Australia but quickly decided to attend Angel Academy of Art in Florence, Italy, where I studied 19th-century academic painting techniques.

Style: In short, my current artistic style is realism. When I was younger I was very into Japanese comic art. During high school my interests switched to graffiti-style street art. So my artistic style often changes a lot, but I hope to bring in a bit of everything in my works.

Second-Choice Career: My second choice for a career would be a designer or a photographer. I really enjoy making visual works.

Best Advice Received: I received so much great advice from my instructors at my atelier. One piece that stands out is, “Don’t just copy what you see but idealize the proportions and gesture.”

Other Passions: I like reading and casually studying about things that interest me. These days I am into psychology and artificial intelligence.

Biggest Fear: I fear failure and humiliating myself in front of others. Being self-conscious is usually thought to be a stigmatic characteristic. But, as an artist, I think being aware of other people’s opinions about one’s work is important.

Favorite Studio Music: It depends on what I am working on, but currently I usually listen to Nuajbes, Kenichiro Nishihara, and music from the 1980s.

Future Goals: Right now I am working on building a source of passive income.

Representation: Zebra One Gallery, London, England; .M Contemporary, Sydney, Australia;  www.moritakasuzuki.com.

This story was featured in the September 2018 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art September 2018 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.

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