{"id":486,"date":"2025-12-15T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T03:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.boundless-art.com\/?p=486"},"modified":"2025-12-15T11:18:40","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T02:18:40","slug":"interview-surpassing-his-idols-face-okas-current-position-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.boundless-art.com\/?p=486","title":{"rendered":"[Interview] Surpassing His Idols: Face Oka\u2019s Current Position – Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

At one glance, anyone can recognize his work. The pieces are impactful yet surprisingly simple – one viewing is all it takes to make them unforgettable. His free-flowing and lateral style refuses to stick to just being an iconic illustration, and it all started by following the footsteps of artists he looked up to. The podcast \u201cToo Young To Know,\u201d which he co-founded with friends, has hit 173 episodes. Recently, he\u2019s ventured into the puppet series \u201cTHE KIDDING HEADS,\u201d operating them off-camera through his own voice and occasionally surreal movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, who exactly is this artist?
We will be going deep across two parts – featuring \u201cTHE KIDDING HEADS\u201d – to discover the answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Face Oka and PETTI<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Behind The Scenes of \u201cTHE KIDDING HEADS\u201d – Operation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As a new project, you recently launched a puppet series \u201cTHE KIDDING HEADS.\u201d Can you tell us more about it? Controlling the puppet seems quite challenging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Face – Yes, I needed to practice the handling at first. Surprisingly, you get used to it after about a week. I usually set a fixed camera and film while I control them from below using my hands. Right around when I finished making one or two puppets, I watched the Netflix documentary \u201cBeing Elmo: A Puppeteer\u2019s Journey\u201d which features Kevin Clash, the voice actor of Elmo on Sesame Street. The film mainly focuses on how he became a voice actor, and didn\u2019t really explain much about puppet handling itself but I watched the way puppet artists and instructors moved their puppets and thought, \u201cAh, I see how it works,\u201d and learned by imitating them.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Face Oka and PABLO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Do you also do all those distinctive high-pitched voices yourself?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Face – Yes, I do every part myself. I have a limited vocal range and so, basically I can only do a \u201chigh voice\u201d and a \u201clow voice\u201d (laughs). This character has a higher voice, so that\u2019s how I set it up.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you change the voice for each character?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Face – That\u2019s what I try to do, but it is also my current challenge\u2026 At first, I wanted to create something like Mike Kelley\u2019s poster work, which is why I initially decided to make seven characters and began working on them. But I never had a thought on the voices (laughs). As it turned out, I can only do about three different voices and right now, I\u2019ve only given voices to Pablo, Petti, Jenny, and Picabia, who is modeled after my cat. For Picabia, it only says \u201cmeow\u201d (laughs). These four characters have an established voice and appear frequently, but the other characters still need to have voices, which I\u2019m currently struggling with sorting out.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Behind The Scenes of \u201cTHE KIDDING HEADS\u201d – Character Development<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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KELLY by Face Oka<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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JENNY by Face Oka<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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MIKE by Face Oka<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Do they each have different personalities?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Face – Yes, they do. Though, I haven\u2019t been able to fully develop it yet – it\u2019s something that I want to work on more going forward. I\u2019m creating a document that outlines each character\u2019s personality and background, organizing it like a character proposal. My ultimate goal is to have a puppet show. It could be on TV, streaming services or YouTube. I want to create something that works as a proper series.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are the characters a mysterious creature, or do they have more human-like nuances?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Face – Like Elmo, you can\u2019t really identify them as a certain creature, right? It\u2019s sort of like an animal but also abstract. I\u2019m aiming towards something different and wanted to make \u201chuman puppets.\u201d That\u2019s where I intended to differentiate from others.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mike Kelley\u2019s poster<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s different from Mike Kelley\u2019s work too, isn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Face – Exactly. What I\u2019m really drawing inspiration from is more like the old NHK show \u201cHatchpotch Station.\u201d The show features characters that are supposed to be human. I love that worldview of \u201cpuppets in human form,\u201d and I want to do something similar.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Shocking Encounter with a Sewing Machine<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before \u201cTHE KIDDING HEADS\u201d series, did you have any experience with using a sewing machine?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Face – This was my very first time using it properly – I had zero knowledge about sewing machines beforehand. When I decided to buy one, I didn\u2019t even know where to get one, so I just went to Hands (formerly, Tokyu Hands). There was an older staff member there who seemed knowledgeable. I asked him about it, but he was very stubborn, saying \u201cThis one. This is the only one. Nothing else will do\u201d (laughs). When I asked the price, it was around 400,000 yen, and I was quite shocked. But he also said, \u201cIt\u2019s expensive, but it\u2019s worth it.\u201d I bought it feeling a bit skeptical, but when I actually used it, it was genuinely great. Usually with household sewing machines, the needle breaks when you try to use thick fabrics, right? Opposingly, industrial machines can be difficult to use with thin fabrics. But this machine is right in the middle as it can handle any material and it\u2019s very versatile.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The sewing machine that he\u2019s been using since purchase<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Is it a professional-grade machine?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Face – Well, that\u2019s the mystery (laughs). Strictly speaking, it doesn\u2019t feel like a professional machine. But it looks like one, right? When I first saw it, I thought \u201cWhat is this thing?\u201d The only place you can buy replacement parts is at Hands, and they\u2019re expensive (laughs). Regardless of that, I still use it to this day.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Behind The Scenes of \u201cTHE KIDDING HEADS\u201d – Production<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You make all the puppets by hand yourself, correct?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Face – That\u2019s right. I go to fabric stores and look for materials that match with the image in my head. At first, I wondered how to make them and tried researching, but there wasn\u2019t much information online. As I kept searching, I came across something like a Japanese puppet association. It was a very old website but it provided a simple template so I bought it right away.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So you base your work on what the association provides?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Face – Yes. I follow the \u201ccorrect\u201d or basic method that the association provided, but only the foundation is the same and everything else is original. It is completely a trial and error in terms of giving each character individuality and uniqueness. To be honest, I bought the sewing machine on a whim about three years ago, so I started with almost no concept of patterns (laughs).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Reference material that helped shape \u201cTHE KIDDING HEADS\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It sounds similar to DIY. Since we\u2019re here, could you walk us through the process of making the puppets?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Face – I really struggled with making the heads. I had an image of the shape I wanted it to be, but I had no idea how to do so. Unlike sculpting with clay, creating a three-dimensional form with fabric was challenging. Through trial and error, I found a way to hand-sew the head parts.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s interesting is Pablo doesn\u2019t have eyes or a mouth – just a nose, right? Most of your earlier works featured just the mouth and eyes, so this is king of the opposite – nose only.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Face – I didn\u2019t have a particular intention behind it, but when I added the eyes, it personally didn\u2019t feel right. That\u2019s why I deliberately left them out – or rather, it felt natural to not include those features, and that\u2019s how it ended up.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Am I able to touch it a bit? How\u2019s the feet part done?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Face – The feet, I literally just finished these recently, and they\u2019re yet to be painted. Structurally, they are sewn onto the upper body. It\u2019s still at a prototype stage.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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PABLO by Face Oka<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Looking closely at them, you don\u2019t just put them in a simple hoodie, but you also dress them with T-shirts underneath and really pay attention to the small details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Face – This character appeared in a commercial when I collaborated with New Balance in the past. At that time, I made it myself using iron-on prints.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pin badges in the chest are also striking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Face – About that, it\u2019s because I simply love pin badges (laughs). This red one features a quote from an artist I like. I made it myself and put it on. The other one is a pin badge from a brand I like. With both, it feels like wearing my personal \u201clikes\u201d.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shoes are cute too. These are\u2026?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Face – At work, I recently received a doll that happened to be wearing these shoes. I thought \u201cOh, I can use these!\u201d and just put them on the puppet without permission (laughs). The size was perfect as well. These kinds of coincidences are quite fun and I really like them.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Crossing in Shinjuku and the West Ham Fan Greeting<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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PETTI by Face Oka<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Petti is wearing a West Ham football team uniform but are you by chance a fan?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Face – Yes, I am a West Ham fan. Which is why this puppet is dressed in this season\u2019s West Ham uniform. I bought a children\u2019s size set that comes with the top and shorts together.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So you\u2019re the Irons (a fan name for West Ham)… That\u2019s pretty niche, isn\u2019t it? (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Face – It is (laughs). I have an acquaintance who travels abroad frequently for work, and I casually said, \u201cHey, let\u2019s go to Spain sometime,\u201d and they actually said, \u201cLet\u2019s go!\u201d (laughs). At that time being, they had to go to London for work. Since I played football throughout high school, if we were going to London anyway, we were talking about going to the Premier League. But the thing was, the only Premier League tickets we could buy on the spot were for West Ham. I didn\u2019t know a single player, but when we went, it was incredibly fun. Since then, I\u2019ve been completely hooked. They\u2019re currently second from the bottom and I hope they do better\u2026 (laughs)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m jealous\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Face – I often wear the West Ham scarf, and it was funny when a foreigner suddenly called out \u201cIrons!\u201d to me at a crossing in Shinjuku (laughs). (The team emblem of West Ham features crossed hammers, and fans apparently greet each other by crossing their hands.) I was an actual fan, so I\u2019m glad I was able to respond immediately (laughs).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Will Face Remain in Art History?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Previously, you\u2019ve mentioned that you would like to \u201cremain in art history\u201d and \u201cbe collected by museums.\u201d Do you still feel the same way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Face – Of course, that hasn\u2019t changed. But, looking at the current art industry, I do feel somewhat distant from it. There was an art bubble a while ago, and during that time, there was hope that \u201cmaybe our art could rise a bit higher in position.\u201d However, when the trend settled, I didn\u2019t really feel that possibility anymore.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the so-called \u201cart boom,\u201d the way things were bought and the market\u2019s energy were quite unique, weren\u2019t they?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Face – Right. When I think about the customers during the boom, I believe people\u2019s view of art was rather \u201cinvestment\u201d than pure appreciation. For example, it would become a hot topic when something \u201csold out completely!\u201d while \u201cwho bought it\u201d was never included in the talk. Considering that, I personally wonder if that was really a meaningful purchase. If the work doesn\u2019t end up in the hands of the fans of the piece or the artist, then it feels a bit different to what I want to do. So now, as the bubble has settled and I rethink about it, my ultimate goal of “remaining in art history\u201d has become more distant – or rather that I\u2019ve recognized \u201cit was far away all along.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from you, whose style is deeply influenced by your “admiration” towards various artists, that\u2019s really convincing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Face – It\u2019s not just about the price tag, but about how you\u2019re evaluated and how you remain in the industry. Rather than having my name on the history, I hope it develops in an interesting way that the work itself “remains with meaning.\u201d So the goal of \u201cremaining in art history\u201d is still there, but I can\u2019t really visualize it in detail. And right now, I also feel that being too conscious of it may not be the best. As I pursue what I want to do, I wish the timing also works out and things fall into place nicely.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

KAWS, James Jarvis, Mike Kelley, Barry McGee\u2026 The artistic path he\u2019s followed in pursuit of these figures. Where will Face Oka head as he surpasses these \u201cidols\u201d? His boundless creative activities are impossible to take your eyes off.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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