Artist Kentaro Okawara, who expresses 'love' through multi-colored paintings and three-dimensional works

From the UK individual debut in 2019 to the brand "MORE LOVE" based on Kentaro Okawara's drawing.I met him, who is continuing his successive moves in various fields.Hope all forms of love reach his hands, check out the interview below for the first meeting between Heights and Kentaro.

Kentaro Okawara

From Tokyo, Japan.

hello. nice to see you. Please give a brief introduction of yourself.

hello. My name is Kentaro Okawara, a painter and sculptor born in Tokyo in 1989. After graduating from the Department of Art at Tokyo Polytechnic University in 2011, he has participated in various international exhibitions.

I heard that there is a new book coming out this time. Could you please briefly explain what kind of book it is?

When I visited Korea last year, I had a sketch I drew in a diary format, and CONERS gave me a publication proposal first, so I was able to publish a new book. CONERS This book has a lot of special meaning through the process of sharing and discussing ideas with friends. I hope many people see it.

When I look at my works, they are always colorful by using different colors. Do you have a favorite color among them?

I am orange, brown and navy blue. I have favorite colors for things I always carry with me. Would you like to see it? The orange eco-bag that I always carry with me, the orange strap inside it, the navy blue shirt and the brown bucket hat I am currently wearing. Colors such as orange and brown can be found in the graphics of this Heights and collaboration products.

MBTI culture is in vogue in Korea. What is Kentaro's MBTI?

I am ENFP. I took the MBTI test for the first time after receiving this interview question. At first I thought it was a simple test, but there were so many questions. In Korea, MBTI is fashionable, in Japan, blood type personality theory is fashionable. We ask each other what our blood type is.

You said ENFP, what do you think? Do you think it was a good fit?

제가 O형이라서, O형이구나 하고 느낀 적은 많은데, ENFP 인지는 아직까지는 잘 모르겠어요. (웃음)

I heard that you came to Korea after a long time. Is there something you always buy when you come to Korea?

I usually buy fun toys, clothes, and brand products from my friends. I buy and collect gymnast toys that move with magnets or jumping horses that move by injecting air into the handle. Oh, recently, I've been collecting hats with Korean embroidery on them! I have hats engraved with 'Dad' and 'Mom', but I haven't been able to find a hat with 'Grandmother', so I'm looking for them.

If we find one, we'll get back to you right away. Is there any place in Korea you would like to visit other than Seoul?

I want to go to Jeju Island. And I'm watching a broadcast called 'Land of Soup' on Netflix these days, and I want to go on a trip to eat various kinds of soup! Among the soups I've eaten so far, the pork soup rice I ate in Busan was the best.

Busan pork soup is very famous. I think you have a lot of love for Korea. Do you also watch Korean content on Netflix?

I'll go into the Netflix app and check it out. The ones I've seen recently include My Name, Secret Forest, Vincenzo, Itaewon Class, etc. Looking at the watchlist, I think I've seen about 30. I enjoy watching Korean programs on a regular basis.

I heard that the Heights Seogyo Store is hosting a pop-up on the first weekend of July.

After the pop-up is over, what will happen in the future? I'm also curious about what kind of work you want to do in the future.

After the Korean pop-up, on July 15th, a drawing exhibition will be held in the UK to commemorate the publication of the art book. There are so many things I want to do in the future. I want to try making large-scale sculptures or wrapping airplanes. I want to build a house, and if I have the opportunity later, I want to collaborate with a furniture brand. I'm going to show you more various works in the future, so stay tuned. thank you

Editor SEJIN LEE

Photo KYUYOUNG SHIM