After a Year with a Master
Masanori Handa Talks about His Year as a Rolex Protégé
Your art is quite different from Rebecca Horn’s. Was this a problem or an advantage during the mentoring year?
Certainly Rebecca is a great artist, and I’m floating in the air. But I have a lot of respect for her as a person who initiates a great deal, so it didn’t matter what our differences were. As for me, emotions are very important and in that area we have a lot of common ground.
How would you describe the mentoring experience in general terms?
I understand the concept and the goal, and how much energy and time are involved. It’s such a rare project. At the same time I feel that art needs to be supported by the system developed by certain people, and to discover its existence was for me very encouraging.
What has living in Berlin taught you?
A lot of things. I was a bit surprised that people seemed so relaxed. Berlin taught me how to draw a map inside myself, from the point of view of an artist who wants to create something. Also, I like that when I talk to different people, I get different feedbacks.
Has your work changed during the mentoring year?
It has changed a lot. I feel that the work I’m putting together now is much more open. I have that feeling with my new show in Berlin stronger than the one before. Many things are happening in different levels of my life now.