村上隆さんのインスタグラム写真 - (村上隆Instagram)「On October 2, I attended the Dia Art Foundation's @diaartfoundation Fall Gala, where Lee Ufan’s @ufanlee career was honored and I had the opportunity to deliver a tribute speech for him. Congratulations again, Mr. Lee Ufan. It was a great honor for me to be invited formally to give a speech at a Dia event. Throughout my career, I have been working with what I have named Superflat, a mode of expression that threads through anime and manga, as well as the history of Japanese art leading up to them, as a symbol of the reality of Japan, a nation defeat in war. But I feel that, sadly, it is often interpreted merely as a Japanese version of Pop Art. Ever since I was an art student, however, I have always wished that I could create minimalistic, conceptual, solid, and magnificent works of art like those of Walter DeMaria, Michael Heizer, Donald Judd, and others, works of canonical contemporary art, if you will. I have especially admired the chaotic works of John Chamberlain, Louise Bourgeois, and others that Dia has exhibited at its Beacon exhibition space, but whenever I looked back on my own work, I have felt an overwhelming gap; I would likely never be allowed to exhibit in that space. This time, I got to attend the Dia event by Mr. Lee Ufan’s invitation. I was truly honored just to be allowed among the mainstream, top tier art professionals who came to the gala. I repeatedly practiced reading my congratulatory speech for Mr. Lee in English until the very last minute, but I couldn't pronounce many words well, so Yuko, @tabi_the_fat my translator, read it in fluent English instead. I am including a copy of the speech here. It was a special evening that made me feel glad that I have worked long hard in the art world. 🙏 Photos: BFA.com」10月12日 5時32分