Issue 4, Profiles

Yukimasa Ida

Yukimasa Ida delivers past in the present moment

Words PLUS MAGAZINE

Photography TAK SUGITA

Ichi-go Ichi-e is a Japanese proverb which translates to “one chance in a lifetime.” It reminds people to acknowledge the irreversible nature of time and thus treasure each moment as fleeting yet indispensable. For Yukimasa Ida, this four-character word has been a constant theme. Drawn to the complexities of human connection and the relationship between life and death, Ida examines existence through crystallized portraits.

Born in the seaside town of Tottori, Ida learned how to draw from his father, a sculptor. “The first memory [I have] was when I was three years old, in a corner painting in my father’s sculptor studio—and ever since, it has become a habit for me to draw. I have my own studio now, but that memory never disappears. Every time I grab my brush, I feel alive, and it allows me to have a dialogue with my work,” says Ida.

His early memories infuse a sense of nostalgia in his work, which ranges from abstraction to realism. The inspiration for Ida’s art often stems from people and landscapes he encounters in foreign countries—or even from plants and discarded cans he finds while walking around his studio’s neighborhood. He is interested not in specific circumstances or objects but rather in the potential for everyday life to become a source of creativity. Interestingly enough, he trained himself to draw quickly at a young age. He would set strict guidelines for himself, for example, drawing a person in under 10 minutes. He created thousands of paintings this way, gradually embracing his inability to slow the passage of time and learning to view time limits as generative rather than restrictive. He eventually centered his creative practice around the concept of memory as a container for time. He notes, “I think memory is the origin of human creativity. It is the image in the head. I think it is real and reflects the truth. So, all the paintings I draw are realistic.”

Ida would always paint alone in his small studio in his university days rather than go to class. His desire for creating was insatiable; he rarely slept, choosing instead to spend almost every waking moment painting. A firm believer in the saying, “Sometimes you have to lose something to gain something greater,” Ida was able to master his artistic skills and the conceptual process by immersing himself fully in his craft.

I first met Ida virtually in January while he was finishing up for the day in the studio. When asked about his daily schedule, he told me that he usually wakes up at around 3 P.M. and spends about an hour reading a book or drinking tea while contemplating. He then works until the next day without any sleep.