10 Questions with mole^3
mole^3 is a Japanese printmaker and visual artist whose work explores the intersection of traditional printmaking and digital media. She creates using open data, images, sound, generative art, and woodblock printing. Viewing coding as a form of printmaking, she considers on-screen outputs to be the digital equivalent of physical prints. Through this perspective, her practice expands the conventional understanding of printmaking.
Her work has been exhibited in Japan and internationally, including at the NTT InterCommunication Center [ICC] in Tokyo and in collaboration with the Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media [YCAM].
mole^3 - Portrait
ARTIST STATEMENT
"All things are fundamentally born from
the same source."
mole^3's work is based on this belief. By employing two distinct artistic approaches—woodblock printing and generative art—she explores the coexistence of opposing elements and the process through which they emerge from a shared origin, transforming into different forms.
Having studied oil painting and woodblock printing at university, she began her artistic journey through woodblock printing. For her, this medium embodies the coexistence of contrasting forces—"woodblock and print," "bumps and dips," "stillness and movement." It can be seen as a microcosm of a world where different things are born from the same starting point and harmony and disharmony coexist in conflict with each other.
However, when she felt stuck in the creative process, she happened to encounter generative art. Algorithmic production brought her a new perspective and made her realize that "coding is also printmaking." In her coding-based video production, she abstracts the physical processes of woodblock printing, such as color-block separation, layering colors, and actions like rolling paper, while exploring the conceptual transformation of printmaking into a three-dimensional form. She also tries to express the idea that the world is a collection of tiny life forms through the decomposition and reconstruction of pixels.
Since starting coding, she has come to see the world and human activities as a kind of algorithm. By carving generative art, she is trying to connect the digital and physical worlds and create new meaning.
Her work explores the fusion of tradition and innovation and encourages cultural dialogue. It is an experiment that embraces the possibilities of technology, questions the very nature of manufacturing and craftsmanship, and explores "something" that transcends different worlds.
Changes, Cycles, and Shapes in Between #1 (Video Sequence), Video, Loop, 25sec, 2024 © mole^3
INTERVIEW
Your work bridges traditional woodblock printing with generative art. What initially drew you to printmaking, and how did coding become a natural extension of your practice?
I was first drawn to woodblock prints when I was in my second year of junior high school. In art class, we had an assignment to draw using a chopstick pen, and while I was looking for a subject for my painting, I found a book on ukiyo-e prints in the school library. I was captivated by the beauty of the lines, but the texture, which was different from that of paint, made me curious about how they were made, and when I looked into it, I found out that they were woodblock prints. Since then, I have been fascinated by ukiyo-e prints, and continued to copy them until I graduated from high school.
Since I was able to major in printmaking from my third year at university, I had been self-taught in woodblock printmaking while drawing and painting. After majoring in printmaking, I tried various techniques, but I was particularly attracted to the act of "carving". Carving gives me the feeling of carving time and feelings, and it also feels like an act ofwriting down and connecting culture. Also, I later remembered that when I was little, there was a sawmill in front of my house, so perhaps the smell of wood subconsciously makes me feel nostalgic. I was born in Kochi Prefecture, Japan, surrounded by sea and mountains, and grew up watching my father sharpen his knives while filleting fish, and the fact that the neighboring town was a famous production area for washi paper may have influenced my work.
After graduating from university, I worked in design while continuing to make prints, where I learned to use digital tools such as Illustrator and Photoshop. Since I preferred indirect expression to direct drawing, I gradually began to create sketches for prints digitally, and started to think about fusing printmaking with digital.
Amidst all this, a colleague introduced me to "generative art" and I became very interested. At the time, I felt like I had reached a dead end in printmaking, so I thought, "If I learn this, maybe I can create new printmaking expressions." Since I was already used to creating sketches with digital tools, and the workplace at the time also handled media art, it was a natural progression for me to learn coding.
You describe coding as a form of printmaking. Could you elaborate on this perspective? How does the digital act of coding parallel the physical process of carving and printing?
There is a command called print() in programming languages. I suddenly found it interesting that the word "print" is used in the digital world, and at that time I thought that the act of writing code and displaying it on a screen is similar to printmaking.
When writing code, sometimes I write it vaguely, but in many cases, I proceed while predicting what it will look like.However, sometimes the image I intended appears on the screen, and sometimes something completely different appears. I feel that this process is similar to "printing" woodblock prints.
From that, I began to think that writing a program is like "carving" a block, and displaying it on the screen is like "printing" a woodblock print. "I see, coding is printmaking." I thought.
Of course, the physical tasks are different, but to me, they are conceptually the same. I think it was because of this idea that I was able to continue learning coding, a world expressed only in strings of characters.
Your work revolves around the idea that "all things are fundamentally born from the same source," as mentioned in your statement. How does this philosophy influence your creative process and the themes you explore?
I wasn't conscious of this idea from the beginning, but I realized that it was inside me as I continued to create.
When making prints, two things are born: the block and the print. There is the appearance of multiple things being born from one thing, and the coexistence of opposing things born from a single source, the block and the print, and I began to feel that these symbolize the structure of one aspect of the world. In order to visualize the coexistence of opposing things, I repeatedly tried to exhibit the block and the printed work side by side, and eventually I began to present the block itself as a work of art.
On the other hand, even in creating animations using coding, I am conscious of the process of decomposing and layering the block. In particular, in the series in which I decompose the pixels of an image and reconstruct them, as I observed the process of the shape changing, I felt more strongly that even though they may appear to be different shapes, they are fundamentally the same thing.
In this way, I realized that the theme connected to the prints was further developed through production through coding,and that I was trying to express the fundamental theme that "all things are fundamentally born from the same source." With this realization, I would like to further deepen this idea in the future. However, since production is always a series of new discoveries, it is possible that the project will develop from a different perspective in the future.
Coincidence or Destiny, hand-carved on plywood, water-based pigment, 120x80cm, 2023 © mole^3
Rhythm #01, hand-carved on plywood, waterbase woodblock print, washi paper, 30×22.5cm, 2024 © mole^3
Generative art has given you a new perspective on your practice. How has working with algorithms influenced your approach to traditional techniques?
One of the questions that arose from working with algorithms is, "What is it that people find beautiful?" We usually judge what is "beautiful" and what is not based on human senses and values. However, I began to wonder whether this is reallybased on universal standards.
Working with algorithms has allowed me to take a step back from the pursuit of intentional beauty and become interested in beauty other than what humans define as "beauty." A slight difference in numbers or instructions can produce an orderly form or bring about chaos. I began to think that in this process, there may be an "unknown beauty" that we have not yet recognized.
However, a work is not completed by the calculation of an algorithm alone. By layering it with my hands, physicality, experience, past techniques, and the thoughts of my predecessors, "something" is born. It is something indescribable thatcannot be explained with words such as simple order or chaos, chance or control. I am exploring new expressions that areborn from the intersection of man and machine, calculation and intuition, and the objective and subjective.
Furthermore, I believe that humans and the world itself may be part of a certain kind of algorithm. This perspective led me to question whether traditional techniques and the latest technology are essentially based on the same principles, even though they may appear different at first glance.
The coexistence of harmony and disharmony is central to your work. How do you navigate this balance both visually and conceptually?
I can't say for sure if I intentionally maintain a balance between harmony and disharmony. In fact, I feel that this is the most difficult area to put into words. Also, the balance may be different in still works and animation.
For example, when I create still works for printmaking, I don't pay attention to harmony or disharmony, and leave it to the computer's calculations as much as possible. However, when I choose which images to keep as a work from the countless generated images, the final decision is left to intuition. "Do I want to carve this image?" - that is the only criterion. When carving the block or printing, my will and senses unconsciously intervene and affect the work. As a result, my involvement unintentionally creates a kind of harmony.
On the other hand, a different process occurs in animation. For example, when a certain shape A changes into another shape B, even if A and B are orderly, the shapes in between are not necessarily. Unpredictable chaos can occur during the process of change. After designing the algorithm, I want to burn every moment into my memory while exploring the state where harmony and disharmony coexist. (In that sense, perhaps I am exploring "another form of painting" through animation.
When I am involved, harmony emerges unintentionally. Perhaps this is why I seek out things that are not harmonious.And perhaps the fact that I cannot clearly explain this balance in words, and that I continue to think about problems that have no solution, is a sign of our humanity.
Fragments - coding (top) ≒ printmaking (bottom) (Video Sequence), Video, 20sec, 2024 © mole^3
Your practice fuses tradition and innovation while fostering cultural dialogue. How do you see your work contributing to contemporary discussions on craftsmanship, technology, and art?
My work is an attempt to explore whether craftsmanship, technology, and art are not independent of each other, but ratherthat their interplay can create new possibilities.
My printmaking works contain elements of traditional craftsmanship. The process of carving and printing a block requires manual skills, but I am exploring how it can be reinterpreted in the context of contemporary art, rather than simply as a handiwork.
At the same time, the act of creating technology, such as coding, also has a craftsman-like aspect and a wide range of creativity, and although I am still in the process of learning, I believe it can be fully established as art. With the evolution of technology, craftsmanship and technology are not in conflict, but rather influence each other, expanding the possibilities for new expression.
In Japan, craftsmanship is strongly associated with manual work, but contemporary crafts and art are exploring new forms while accepting the evolution of technology and tools. The warmth and imperfection of handwork have their own value, but I believe that the precision and efficiency of machines, and even the ability to bring out creativity that cannot be created by machines through human intervention, are also elements that create new value.
Even so, I choose to spend a huge amount of time and effort carving the blocks by hand. The reason is that for me, the act of wood carving is the one thing I don't want to be replaced by anything else.
As art production using AI and computers becomes more widespread, asking the question, "What are your beliefs?" may be one way in which my work can contribute to contemporary discussions.
You have exhibited both in Japan and internationally. How do audiences from different cultural backgrounds respond to your work?
It may seem contradictory, but even though I use the words "traditional" and "craftsmanship," I want my work to be as universal as possible, rather than linking it to a specific country or culture. Therefore, ideally, there would be no majordifference in reactions between Japan and internationally, and I feel that this is generally the case in actual exhibitions.
Of course, it is not accepted by everyone. However, some people resonate deeply with it and stop to look at it for a long time, and I think that is enough.Interestingly, when I exhibited my work at a hotel in Tokyo, where many international travelers stay, I had the opportunity to have my work viewed from various perspectives in an international environment, even though it is in Japan. There, I had the valuable experience of being able to compare the reactions of Japanese and international people. Although I wish to be "universal," there is something that cannot be completely wiped away, and sometimes it stands out in different cultural backgrounds. This in itself was a very interesting discovery for me.
Life-forms of colors (Video Sequence), Video, 3min21sec, 2024 © mole^3
Life-forms of colors, Video, 10min30sec, 2024 © mole^3 | Photo: Ryuichi Maruo, Photo courtesy Civic Creative Base Tokyo [CCBT]
Many of your works explore the transformation of printmaking into a three-dimensional form. How do you see this evolution shaping the future of printmaking?
Printmaking has evolved over time, changing techniques and expressions. In Japan, too, shin-hanga emerged from ukiyo-e printmaking, which was produced under a traditional division of labor, while creative printmaking, which emphasizes personal expression and self-production, was born. New techniques and concepts were adopted, and sometimes the very framework of printmaking was questioned. Even today, I feel that printmaking continues to evolve.
Through animation works using coding, I am attempting to convert conceptual printmaking into a three-dimensional form. This attempt reinterprets the process and structure of printmaking in a different way. I respect the current world of printmaking, and it is not my goal to force new concepts into it, but my attempt may be difficult to grasp within the current framework of printmaking.
Nevertheless, although the future of printmaking is uncertain, I would like to continue to pursue its possibilities in my own way. And it may no longer be limited to the word "printmaking," but develop into a new method of expression.
What are you currently working on? Are there any future projects or experiments you are particularly excited about?
I continue to create works through trial and error while cherishing my own worldview.
I also plan to be involved in a summer camp for children and in projects that combine traditional crafts with technology in the future. This will be a different approach than before, but I am strongly attracted to exploring new possibilities for expression.
While my own creations remain important to me, I also feel that it is meaningful to use my skills and perspectives to create new connections, be useful to someone, and create works that people can enjoy.
Changes, Cycles, and Shapes in Between (NFT, 65edition, Feral File), Video, Loop, 25sec, 2024 © mole^3
Lastly, looking ahead five years from now, where do you see yourself and your work evolving?
To be honest, I don't know how I or my work will evolve in five years. But what's certain is that I'm working hard now for that future.
It takes time to see results. Even if what I'm working on now seems meaningless at first glance, or that no one sympathizes with it, it may be appreciated in five years. Also, unexpected encounters and events in the meantime may have a new impact on my work and way of thinking.
That said, right now I have a mountain of things I want to make and experiments I want to try. I believe that focusing on them first and giving them shape one by one will lead to the future.
Artist’s Talk
Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a promotional platform for artists to articulate their vision and engage them with our diverse readership through a published art dialogue. The artists are interviewed by Mohamed Benhadj, the founder & curator of Al-Tiba9, to highlight their artistic careers and introduce them to the international contemporary art scene across our vast network of museums, galleries, art professionals, art dealers, collectors, and art lovers across the globe.
