Conversations with Sumire Kudo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sumire Kudo

Hi Sumire, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I am Sumire Kudo, an oil painter based in Los Angeles. I earned my Master’s degree in Fine Arts in California in recent years and have been fortunate to have my work exhibited in museums and magazines.

I was born and raised in Japan, where I always questioned the cultural conformity and the completely different art education compared to the West. This curiosity led me to live outside of Japan. When I was young, shortly after my father passed away, I moved to Australia with just a backpack. At the time, I could barely speak English and spent time with people who were not financially well off, witnessing a harsh reality that shocked my younger self—meeting refugees who longed to reunite with their families and a roommate who was beaten by a stranger because of his race.

After deciding to study art in the United States, I returned to Japan to work as a graphic designer to save money for tuition and spent all my free time studying English. The opposite of life in Australia, I was exposed to the business world, where huge sums of money could move with just a computer. I was amazed to see how a small change in an image online could cause a huge fluctuation in sales, and I became fascinated by the power of visuals to stir the emotions of thousands of people. I began to think about how this logic could be used, not to stimulate consumer purchasing desires, but to convey social messages.

When I moved to the U.S., I studied art tirelessly from morning until night. What particularly left an impression on me were my mentor’s thesis, “How studies in neuroscience and an understanding of visual perception can advance a representational art education,” and a class called ‘Persuasive Art.’ They focused on how composition, elements, color, and value influence the psychology of the viewer. I believe my current conceptual and figurative style was shaped by the experiences of meeting people from three countries with completely different environments and socioeconomic backgrounds, as well as by the knowledge of visual strategy I gained through design and my MFA studies.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
To apply for art college in the U.S., I spent six years. I worked full-time (eight hours a day) to save for tuition and studied English for five hours every day to pass the English exam. I even spent Christmases and birthdays alone, studying. At that time, I had no career and couldn’t speak English at all, so no one believed I could achieve any of it. After six years of effort, however, I was finally able to build a career, pass the English exams, and save enough money for my education. When I was accepted into the program, it was an incredible feeling—but that was just the beginning of another challenge.

After joining the program in the U.S., in an environment with few international students, and having only just started learning oil painting, the situation was incredibly challenging both mentally and physically. Not long after I moved to the U.S., the currency that made up most of my savings dropped to a 37-year low against the dollar, and financially, I was suddenly in a tough spot. I even walked an hour just to save the $2 bus fare. Despite these hardships, I dedicated nearly 12 hours a day to studying and painting. Art was the only thing that kept me going, holding me together.

To be honest, I often envied people who had formal training in the West or their own studios. I felt lonely a lot, especially during Christmas and my graduation ceremony, seeing others spend time with their families. But looking back, I realize that pushing through those struggles on my own gave both me and my work a deeper sense of meaning.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My artwork consistently explores the theme of “People’s subconscious dynamics that shape society” with each piece examining aspects of human nature and societal structures. These works often challenge the viewer with surreal depictions such as a man conversing with a restroom sign or ducklings who see a bill as their parent. While employing traditional oil painting techniques, I place significant emphasis on the concept behind my work.

Here is my artist statement :
Our ethics, logic, and aesthetics are highly dependent on the environment to which we belong. In one community such as a country, family, ethnicity, or generation, people may hold beliefs that feel like “common sense” to the people who belong, but those same beliefs often seem odd to people from another community. Our beliefs and feelings are so embedded in our lives that people are not even aware of their oddness. Through my paintings, I try to reveal that people’s destiny is controlled by socially imposed values. I want those who suffer from their fate, which is not their choice, to have the power to overcome their born environment on their own. I hope they can believe in themselves even if their beliefs and value systems differ from those in their inner circle.

Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
As a child, I was always drawn to creating stories and drawing, which led me to create many of my own picture books. They were simply stacks of paper stapled together, filled with pencil drawings and handwritten text. When I was too young to write, I would form letters using dots to make them look like words, and I would give these books to ants and animals. This habit continued through my time in kindergarten and elementary school, and as I grew older, the stories became more intricate. With a mother who was an art teacher and a father who taught language and literature, it felt natural for me to be interested in these subjects. My paintings are commentaries with imaginative depictions, and looking back, I realize that what I did then is not so different from what I do now.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sumirekudo.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sumirekudo/

Image Credits
Paintings: Sumire Kudo
Photographer: Zammarroo