[Japanese Side] "Life is fun because of failure" The 90-year-old Japanese artist grandmother loved even by Pompidou

Story of 1932-born 'Trash Artist' Mishima Kimiyo
At 90, Reappraised but Responds "It's Fine Because It's Fun"

When having a drink with colleagues or friends, conversations often turn to things they wanted to try but gave up on due to reality. No one easily says, "Just go for it." Everyone knows that if a new resolution fails, they will face difficult problems. The reason it becomes harder to take on new challenges as we age seems to be the heavy weight of responsibility that follows.

Amid this, Japanese media has focused on the story of 90-year-old artist grandmother Mishima Kimiyo. Although she was in debt because her works did not sell, she recently entered a golden age with overseas collectors acquiring her pieces and galleries sending love calls. Despite finally receiving recognition, she cheerfully responded, "I don't care about others' opinions. I live freely, so I fail every day," which made her story even more popular. Today, we share the story of Mishima’s 'joyful life,' embracing failure positively.

Work by artist Mishima. The newspaper is fired as ceramic. (Photo by Mishima artist official website)

Born in 1932, Mishima is nicknamed the 'Trash Artist.' She began painting in the 1960s and from the 1970s started creating ceramics modeled after discarded newspapers and empty cans for exhibitions. She was inspired by seeing scattered newspapers and noted, "Ceramics become trash when broken, and newspapers become trash after reading." Since then, she has made ceramics that look exactly like crumpled newspapers, using unique methods such as enlarging their size abnormally or arranging them up to the ceiling.

Not only does she fire ceramics, but she also paints images of newspapers or empty cans on thin porcelain, and recycles sludges from waste disposal processes to create massive trash heap artworks. She reportedly devises all these methods through trial and error on her own. At a recent meeting last month, she recalled, "I was doing something for the first time, so I failed along the way. But failure was actually fun."

In 1986, Mishima received a Rockefeller Foundation scholarship and stayed in New York for a year. Even there, she diligently collected trash such as boxes and newspapers for her artwork ideas. There was an episode where, during airport baggage inspection, she was asked, "Why do you only have trash?" and she replied, "It is the most important thing to me." She explains the reason for her 'trash art' by saying, "Trash is the record of the land, so it is interesting."

An interview with artist Kimiyo Mishima conducted last year by the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo. (Photo by Mori Art Museum YouTube)

Although she has exhibited overseas and gained some recognition, she has only recently begun to receive proper attention. Japanese media reported that as issues like marine debris and waste problems have surfaced recently, her work has been reappraised. In an interview with Yomiuri Shimbun last year, Mishima said, "Until recently, my works didn’t sell at all and I was in debt, but suddenly I received awards from the Japan Ceramic Association, which lists master potters. I have just kept working as usual, but now that the era focuses on trash, I am being evaluated."

The Pompidou Center in France also holds her works, and in 2021, she was the only Japanese artist included in an exhibition at the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo featuring works by 16 veteran female artists worldwide. Following the Mainichi Art Award in 2022, she also received an art award from Gifu Prefecture this year. On the 26th of last month, she successfully held a solo exhibition at a gallery in Kyoto. It seems her golden age has returned.

A work by artist Mishima inspired by discarded cans. (Photo by Mishima official website)

This has been analyzed as a result of the art world traditionally being centered on Western white male identities. Mami Kataoka, director of the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, told Mainichi, "Elderly artists who have not received proper recognition for a long time but have continued their work are now being reevaluated. Mishima’s recent reevaluation likely comes from this background."

Regarding the reevaluation that "she finally sees the light," she said with a smile, "I don’t care about others’ evaluations. I just do what I want. Living freely is fun, so I still fail every day. It’s okay."

Japanese media also focused on her 'philosophy of life.' Ultimately, the ability to accept and enjoy failure was the driving force that allowed her to persevere. Even though she was in debt until recently because her works didn’t sell, when asked, "What was the turning point in your life?" she immediately answered, "There wasn’t one." She added, "I am always playing. I always think about what art is, but I still don’t know. I don’t think I will ever find the answer," which sparked interest.

Life is said to be a brief moment to come and play, but it’s not easy to enjoy it fully. The life philosophy of this 90-year-old, who regards both failure and success as part of the process, leaves a gentle lingering impression.