Meet visual artist Hana Chatani from Kobe and Auckland

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I am a queer, Japanese-Pakeha(New Zealand European) traditional painter and comic artist.
I was born and raised in Akashi, Japan, a town right next to Kobe but am currently based in Auckland, New Zealand where my family moved to in 2005. I have been hopping between the two cities.

My area of thematic interests and explorations in my work are love, endearment and relationships that are non-romantic, and I am recently beginning to expand on the themes with elements of horror.

Describe the city you’re living in and what it’s like to live there.

Kobe- Kobe is an exceedingly convenient city. Not only is it a self-sufficient city on its own accord, I used to hop on the train and go on day trips to neighbouring Osaka, Kyoto and Nara for art exhibits and just for fun. I bought an annual pass to Universal Studio Japan in Osaka so I could go dose myself with adrenalin with roller coasters whenever I craved them.

Auckland- Unfortunately for someone who is used to the convenience of Japanese cities, Auckland falls short in many aspects. Public transport is archaic and less than convenient, and as a small and geographically isolated country not a lot happens here if you’re not into the outdoors.
It is however quite an easy going place to be. Casual. Informal. Relaxed. I enjoy feeling less judged by in this city. I also found myself a community of queer people that I can be comfortable with. I don’t know if I could have done that if I stayed in Kobe.

What is the best and worst thing about living in your city?

Kobe – Being able to easily visit other major cities for exhibits and events. / General Japanese bureaucracy.

Auckland – Diverse peoples and cultures. / Ridiculously high rent prices and overall inconvenience with transportation.

Give us 3 words that describe what it’s like to be a creative in your city.

Kobe – Convenient, Stimulating, Rule-abiding

Auckland – Relaxed, Diverse, FOMO

How did you start your career in art?

I started out taking commissions on my online platforms during university until I gained enough reputation to slowly start receiving freelance job inquiries.

I was extremely and utterly blessed with support and understanding from both my parents and my high school arts faculty. My father especially was actively supportive in my interests growing up and did not hesitate to provide me with art materials and digital tools for my creative endeavours. So much so that I think I took it for granted for a lot of years since I just thought that was the norm. Only when I entered adulthood and gained a better understanding of the world outside of me that I began to realise how lucky I have been with the support around me.

Were the people around you supportive of your decision on working as a creative?

I was extremely and utterly blessed with support and understanding from both my parents and my high school arts faculty. My father especially was actively supportive in my interests growing up and did not hesitate to provide me with art materials and digital tools for my creative endeavours. So much so that I think I took it for granted for a lot of years since I just thought that was the norm. Only when I entered adulthood and gained a better understanding of the world outside of me that I began to realise how lucky I have been with the support around me.

What are some goals and ambitions you have for your future work?

A lot of my current works are created with impulsive energy and gut feeling. This makes them extremely personal pieces and I think my audiences pick up on the raw and sincere emotional appeal of them. This current style of practice also makes it very hard to explain my works with words. Without a doubt, I create these pieces for a reason, but I don’t think I actually fully understand these reasons myself, which is most likely why I have so much trouble writing/talking about them. My goal is to go through the ordeal of active and critical self-reflection, in order to understand what makes me create the works I create. I think gaining this insight is a crucial step towards my artistic development in the future that has any meaningful depth.

My goal is to go through the ordeal of active and critical self-reflection, in order to understand what makes me create the works I create. I think gaining this insight is a crucial step towards my artistic development in the future that has any meaningful depth.

If you could collaborate with any person in the world who would it be?

No one in particular comes to mind, but I love drawing figures dancing, so maybe a dancer perhaps?

What are the biggest challenges you face in working as a creative?

Balancing my artistic integrity against surviving in a capitalist world. I am beginning to think that thriving (maybe even surviving) as a creative in capitalism requires you to sacrifice a certain amount of morality and integrity. This is almost certainly not restricted to creative fields of course, but when the arts are often a reflection and influence on moral insights it feels like an especially difficult problem we are forced to maneuver while our living is at stake.

Compassionate, Resilient, Kickin’

How would you describe the women around you?

Compassionate, Resilient, Kickin’

Were there any local female creatives that you looked up to when you were growing up?

If I remember correctly, I attended a children’s art workshop by Moe Nagata back in the early 00’s in Awaji Island. Moe Nagata is a watercolour artist that paints fairies in beautiful backgrounds of flowers and nature, and I remember being mesmerised by the tiny worlds she brought to life. As the children were instructed to draw what they saw around the park overlooking the Seto Inland sea, Nagata would go around and offer comments on the artworks. Her advice to my drawing of a garden was to “try and use different colours of green” with the vegetation. I vividly remember this advice given to my 9, maybe 10 year-old self. My young mind up until that point only recognised the colour green as simply “green”, and I think her comment opened my mind to colours in a new light. As a lot of my works depict small angels not unlike Nagata’s fairies, there is undeniable influence from this artist that I looked up to when I was a child.

Do not be afraid to negotiate or reject the work that is disadvantageous to you. I promise that if your work is good, there will be more opportunities in the future.

Do you have any advice for other women who are aspiring to work in your field?

Make yourself familiar with contract speak. Often, small freelance work (not personal commissions) from individual clients will not provide you with contracts. I’ve started to write very basic contracts myself to cover clauses such as usage rights, copyright, credits, amount of revisions, etc to negotiate with my clients. Not only can this save you from being purposefully or unwittingly exploited, it builds literacy for what you must look out for in contracts that’s offered to you by larger clients. Unfortunately, there will be instances where clients grossly undervalue your labour and creative properties. Do not be afraid to negotiate or reject the work that is disadvantageous to you. I promise that if your work is good, there will be more opportunities in the future.

What type of music do you like to listen to?

I usually alternate between ballet scores, indie bands like HYUKOH and video game soundtracks. My favourites are tracks from horror games like Silent Hill, OFF and Little Nightmares, but I also love the fun and uplifting arcade tracks from the likes of Lethal League Blaze. I think video games are a treasure trove of really great music across a wide range of genres.

What’s your favorite local food spot?

The Candy Shop (Newmarket, Auckland)

Lilian Darmono asks: If you can name one moment that’s a ‘turning point’ in your artistic career, what would that be?

This is more in my artistic practice than career, but it would be when I rediscovered traditional mediums after dabbling in digital painting for a while. One day my photoshop became buggy and very painful to work with. Too lazy to fix it, I picked up a physical brush again and never looked back since. (I fixed my photoshop over 2 years later.)

Cindy Wume asks: What do you love to do when you are not working?

Watching horror game let’s plays on youtube. I also love to thrift-shop crawl, both for second hand clothing and furniture/other trinkets. I actively collect ornate picture frames from thrift stores for my paintings.

What question would you like us to ask the next artist?

Are you happy with your current workspace? And if not, what would you change about it?

Photos courtesy of Hana Chatani