((PKG)) PIA – KAZUHIRO TSUJI / PART 1
((Banner: Art and Life))
((Executive Producer: Marsha James))
((Camera: Kaveh Rezaei))
((Map: Washington, D.C.))
((NATS))
((Kazuhiro Tsuji, Hyperrealist Sculptor & Special Effects Makeup Artist))
The one thing I enjoy is there’s a whole process of creating because that's when I become myself. I believe that life lives in all details. Even just one hair talks about that person and I like noticing those details.
((Kazuhiro Tsuji, Hyperrealist Sculptor & Special Effects Makeup Artist))
My name is Kazuhiro Tsuji and I’m doing portraits, sculptures, and also sometimes I work on a film.
((NATS))
((Kazuhiro Tsuji, Hyperrealist Sculptor & Special Effects Makeup Artist))
I'm from Kyoto, Japan. And when I was a child, I was really like an introvert. My parents divorced when I was 15 and I haven't seen my father in over 30 years. Most of the time I was by myself, making something at home. So, what I'm doing right now, I think it’s because of that.
((NATS))
((Kazuhiro Tsuji, Hyperrealist Sculptor & Special Effects Makeup Artist))
When I first saw makeup done by Dick Smith in a magazine, which was makeup of Abraham Lincoln, I was so fascinated by it. I thought, this is it. This is what I really want to do.
I started to work on set, doing application on the makeup on actors and that was a time I started to feel like really this is really stressful for me. Work on a film set is so unpredictable. It's lots of waiting and you don't know what's going to happen next. Lots of anxiety. I started realizing, okay, this is not good for me because I started this work because of my passion. And so, is this something I have to deal with whole my life?
((NATS))
((Kazuhiro Tsuji, Hyperrealist Sculptor & Special Effects Makeup Artist))
Dick Smith was born 1922 and 2002, that was his 80 years of birthday and I decided to create his portrait. And when I showed it to him, he was really touched by it and he was crying and very emotional. That moment I thought, I really want to do this for my living. I decided to stop taking film work and try to concentrate on creating portraits. Life is interesting because once I made a commitment, good things start to happen.
((NATS))
((Kazuhiro Tsuji, Hyperrealist Sculptor & Special Effects Makeup Artist))
When I create sculptures, I intentionally try to create from inside out. The great thing about it is, it is three-dimensional. So, depend on the height of the viewer and what their mental state and that will reflect almost like as a mirror. Even if the audience, they don't know who this person is, they start to somehow connect to each other and size wise, it’s bigger than life. Almost that will make them feel like a child.
((NATS))
((Kazuhiro Tsuji, Hyperrealist Sculptor & Special Effects Makeup Artist))
To create this portrait, it usually takes about two months-and-a-half to four months. It depends on the subject I created. Most of the people who went through lots of struggle in their life, and they made a breakthrough, and they found the way to live. So, by creating those people, I also encourage myself to figure out what is life about and also that will inspire many people.
((NATS))
