Creating art is like a deep clean of the brain.

February 16–29, the art exhibition "ONE CREATIVE" Vol. 2 by Dentsu Inc. creators will be held at galerie H in Nihonbashi, Tokyo.

This project explores what happens when creators who normally make advertisements give shape to what wells up from within, rather than solving client problems. For the fifth installment in the series, we spoke with Emi Kubota, Art Director at Creative Planning Division 1.

Gathering vague feelings and bringing them to life.

The first thing you see in the gallery is a familiar, sculptural white knit dress. This is the "ZOETROPE DRESS" we previously featured on this site —and to see the actual piece here...!

And to the right, the new "sheep" pieces. Both feature various textures within pure white, creating a unified worldview. This time, we'd like to ask about the new work, "SHEEP‘S’ - Sheep Awakened to Self-Awareness."

──Could you tell us about the theme of the work?

In English, the plural form of sheep is still "SHEEP." There's no "S." This is because they are perceived not as individuals, but as a collective mass within the flock.

Sheep wrapped in fluffy wool, walking peacefully—they all look the same at first glance. But perhaps each one harbors different thoughts and feelings.

What if the sheep awoke to their individuality and began asserting themselves? I turned that fantasy into this work.

──Each sheep has a unique shape! What message do you want to convey with this work?
 
We are usually categorized and recognized in various ways.
These range from things like gender, nationality, or workplace, to more ambiguous criteria like "○○-type."

In our busy lives, grasping tendencies to process as much information as possible and make judgments might be a smart way to save time.
On the other hand, I think we miss out on a lot by doing so.
 
In this work, the inner feelings of the sheep are expressed outwardly, creating differentiation.
I think if we become aware that even things we lumped together as one have different backgrounds, the scenery we see might change.

──Sheep with strange shapes. The lack of color allows us to focus our attention on their forms. Each texture makes them seem to possess different emotions. When did you first conceive of creating this work?

When creating personal work, I pull out daily questions or discomforts I feel and observe them first. They're usually scattered and lack clear answers, so I assemble them as if trying to pinpoint the source of that unease.

For the sheep pieces, ideas like "Why do people express themselves through clothes?" or "We all have preconceptions, don't we?" or "Why doesn't 'sheep' take an 's'?" were scattered around in my head. I picked them up one by one and consolidated them.

I regularly tidy up my cluttered mind.

──You primarily work as an art director. How do advertising production and your artistic activities coexist within you?

For me, my work and creating personal pieces are seamlessly connected.
In my work, I want to transform the client's concerns into something clear and beautiful. In my personal work, I want to transform the questions that arise within me into something clear and beautiful. I think both are the same act: unraveling vague, unformed thoughts and bringing them into the world as creations.

──Are there any particular benefits to creating both advertising and personal work?
 
For me, creating personal work is like a deep clean of my brain.
Regularly tidying up the clutter and sharpening the contours of my thoughts allows me to approach client work with a clear head.

Also, in my work, talking with clients from various industries provides so much unexpected stimulation. I believe the synergy from producing both work and personal projects is incredibly high.

──What kind of work would you like to create going forward?
 
This time, when I was asked to create work for this exhibition, I made the sheep piece from scratch. For three months, I holed up like a hermit, dedicating all my non-work time solely to creating it.

I feel I thrive when I have such a clear goal. Moving forward, I want to remain the kind of person who gets approached with, "Hey, try making this!"—whether it's for work or personal projects.

──Thank you very much.
 

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After viewing the exhibition

Kubota's work, which gathers and shapes the daily questions and discomforts we feel, as if bringing focus to something hazy, felt like peeking into the minds of others—places we normally can't see.

This "ONE CREATIVE" feature introduced five creative directors and art directors who pursue artistic pursuits while working at Dentsu Inc. What did you think? Dentsu Inc. still holds a wealth of diverse talents. We hope to gradually introduce more of them in the future. Stay tuned.