Hirohiko Araki talks about his public art 'Fountain Boy', the criteria for selecting the seven Stands depicted was 'in order of power'
Manga artist Hirohiko Araki appeared at the opening ceremony for 'WARP,' an art project for the west side of Osaka Station, and spoke about ' Fountain Boy ,' one of the WARP projects and his first attempt at public art.
WARP (WEST ART PROJECT)
The unveiling ceremony looked like this:
Manga artist Hirohiko Araki's first public art 'Fountain Boy' unveiled - GIGAZINE
Q:
First of all, could you tell us your honest thoughts when you were asked to work on this project?
Hirohiko Araki (hereinafter, Araki):
When I was asked to do this, I was told that there used to be a monument called 'Fountain Boy' here, and that it was now sleeping in a museum. I guess they wanted to revive it in a new form, that's the kind of story they told me. I thought it was great to revive something, and it was wonderful. As for the fact that it was a public project, I didn't get much public work even though I'm a manga artist, so I was really honored to be able to contribute. So I drew it with all my heart.
Q:
I'm sure there are many fans who were excited when they heard on the news that you were going to create an art piece. If you actually take a look at it, you'll see that the piece features characters called 'Stands' that appear in your work. Can you tell us why?
Araki:
When I was shown a photo of the 'Fountain Boy' statue, I realized that there was a 'fountain tradition' in the Roman era. Roman fountains are a public image, and there is a global tradition of fountains for public use, so I first thought of drawing a fountain. Fountains circulate, and they are natural phenomena in the world... they evaporate and fall from the sky... so in 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure,' stands are also a depiction of the power of nature, an invisible power. I thought that it was absolutely necessary in the fountain. So I scattered a few of them around.
Q:
Seven Stands are depicted this time; could you tell us the criteria for selecting these seven?
What are the selection criteria for the stands that Hirohiko Araki drew in the public art 'Fountain Boy'? - YouTube
Araki:
They are listed in order of strength, in order of power (laughs). Also, since it's a fountain, I've included a Stand called November Rain that makes it rain. This Stand appears in the currently ongoing 'The JOJOLands', and it is meant to bring healing and hope to those who use and pass through here, and to be a power that will bring good fortune in the future. I drew it with the hope that something good will happen when you meet up.
Q:
This place may become a new power spot of Osaka Station. And if you look under the stand, you will see a boy drawn there. Is this boy in the middle the Fountain Boy?
Araki:
When I saw the photo, I had this image in mind, with curly hair and holding something like a tray, as if she was catching rain or water. And that was it.
Q:
I'm sure everyone thinks it's amazing, but what was the most difficult part of making this?
Araki:
Manga is usually drawn on square paper, but this time I was asked to make it a circle, a round shape. However, on the other hand, a circle gives the impression of infinity, so I thought there were pictures of that shape too. In those cases, I thought the composition was difficult. It was difficult to decide where to place it.
Q:
So, was this a new challenge for you as well?
Araki:
Yes, I don't draw circles like this very often.
There seemed to be much more to talk about, but due to time running out, the talk at the public ceremony came to an end and a photo session was held with President Hasegawa and Mr. Araki.
You can watch the entire ceremony, including talks by Amber and Hirohiko Araki, below.
Osaka Station West District Art Project 'WARP' Public Ceremony - Hirohiko Araki Public Art 'Fountain Boy' Unveil Official Video - YouTube
You can also see Araki applying his brush strokes to the 'Fountain Boy' in the video below.
Hirohiko Araki's public art 'Fountain Boy' brush-in video - YouTube
Related Posts:
