INTERVIEW

ONO MEGUMI

小野愛 ONO MEGUMI

生み出しながら希望に向かう

Moving towards hope while creating

ただただ、まっすぐに、ひたすらに。

Simply. Steadily. Wholeheartedly.

永遠の時間を縫う人

An artist who stitches eternal time

一目見て、それが布とわかるまでに少しの時間を要する。ましてや遠目ではなおのこと。
布と綿で作られた石膏のような、いくつもの形を変えた「手」がつなぎ合わされ、血が通ったかのような環を作っている。そこには永遠に巡る時間が流れているかのように。

It takes a little time at first glance to recognize that it is cloth. Even more so from a distance. “Hands”, made of cloth and cotton resembling plaster and taking various shapes, are connected to form a ring as if blood flows through it. It seems as though an eternally circulating time flows there.

存在感のあるオブジェもまた、近づいてみなければ、とうてい素材が布とはわからない。自然石のような白いかたまりに、まるで千人針のごとく黒い糸で小さな一針一針の縫い目が続く。作品の名前は『ただただ』。それ以上のタイトルは考えられないほど、作品にそのまま寄り添う。

Even a prominent sculpture, until you approach it, you wouldn't guess its material is simply cloth. On a white mass resembling natural stone, tiny stitches made with black thread, resembling stitches from a thousand needles, continue one by one. The artwork is named “Just Simply.” No other title could fit as perfectly, so closely intertwined with the artwork itself.

作り手は、大分県生まれ千葉県在住の小野愛さん。

The creator is ONO MEGUMI, who was born in Oita prefecture and currently resides in Chiba prefecture.

どんなに研ぎ澄まされた感性と、近寄りがたさを兼ね備えている女性だろう。作品から受けた印象だけで抱いたこちらの勝手な想像を、対面した彼女は、はらりと拭う。目の前の女性は、まだ少女とも言えるあどけなさを残し、シャイな表情を見せながら、ほほ笑んでいる。醸し出されるオーラからは、ただただまっすぐな光しか感じない。もっと言えば、名前の通りの「愛」に包まれている。

She must be a woman with sharp sensitivity and an unapproachable vibe. But meeting her in person changes that impression quickly. The woman, has a hint of girlish innocence, with a shy expression and a soft smile. She radiates pure, straightforward light. Additionally, she seems filled with the essence of “love,” just as her name Megumi means in Japanese.

思わず、どんな子ども時代だったかを問う。「子ども時代は超内弁慶でした」の後に続いた言葉は、想像もしていなかった。
「家族がすごく大好きで、家族に見せられない部分がないんです」
このあまりの素直過ぎる言葉に、聞いたこちら側が戸惑いを隠せない。やがて、ゆっくりと話し出す言葉の中から、ここが彼女の出発点であり、タフとも言える強さ、そして創造の源なのだと気づかされる。

I couldn’t help but ask what her childhood was like. The words that followed “I was extremely shy at home as a child” were beyond my imagination.
“I love my family very much, and there’s nothing I can’t show them.”
These incredibly straightforward words left me feeling bewildered. Eventually, as she slowly began to speak, I realized that this was her starting point, a strength that could be described as tough, and the source of her creativity.

家族愛に包まれた心地よさの中から

From the comfort of being surrounded by family love

小野愛さんは大分県に生まれ、育つ。家族は父母、弟、祖母の５人。母方の祖父母も近くに住んでいたため、どこに行くにも団体行動だったという。
愛さんが将来の制作につながるきっかけとなる縫うことに触れたのは、母方の祖母の洋裁から。当時、周囲の子どもたちがゲームに夢中になっているとき、本人はゲームに全く興味を示さず、祖母に習った裁縫から始まり、工作や絵を描く遊びに夢中になっていた。

ONO MEGUMI was born and raised in Oita Prefecture. Her family were composed of five members : her father, mother, younger brother, and grandmother. Since her maternal grandparents also lived nearby, they would often go everywhere as a group.

Her first encounter with sewing, which would later become a key element of her future creations, came from her maternal grandmother's dressmaking. While the other children around her were absorbed in video games, she showed no interest in them at all. Instead, she was engrossed in sewing, which she learned from her grandmother, and spent her time enjoying crafts and drawing.

小学校時代は皆勤賞で通し、スイミングスクールに通い、ちびっ子マラソンに出場し、中学時代は陸上部に入部。実業団の陸上選手だった父の背を見て、小学校から走ることを日常として育った。将来はトライアスロンの選手になると何の疑いもなく思っていたという。しかし、思春期を迎えるに連れ、家族以外の人間と接するうちに、微妙にズレを感じ始め、その煩わしさで陸上も止めてしまう。この“外側”との違和感を覚え始めた頃から、じわじわと「小野愛」独自の世界が芽生え始めていたと言ってもいい。

During her elementary school years, she had perfect attendance, attended swimming school, participated in kids’ marathons, and joined the track and field club in junior high school. Inspired by her father, who was a corporate track and field athlete, running had been a part of her daily life since elementary school. She had no doubt that she would become a triathlete in the future.

However, as she entered adolescence and started interacting with people outside her family, she began to feel a subtle discomfort. This led her to quit track and field. It can be said that it was around this time, when she started to feel out of sync with the "outside" world, that ONO MEGUMI's unique world began to emerge.

高校時代は楽しい思い出もない。部員もほとんどいない美術部に入部し、美術室で一人、ひたすら絵を描いて日々を過ごした。その頃から服飾に興味があったこともあり、福岡にある服飾の専門学校に進むが、そこは縫製を主に服づくりの技術を教える、昔ながらの専門校。求めていたデザインを学べないとわかり、クリエイティブ活動は課外活動として自身で行いながら卒業後、自分ブランドで服を作ろうと思っていた矢先、次なるステップの学びに出会う。専門学校教師から推薦された、福岡に新しくできたファッションの学校、というより「ファッション塾」だった。

High school was not a period filled with happy memories for her. She joined the art club, which had very few members, and spent her days alone in the art room, tirelessly drawing. Since she had an interest in fashion at that time, she went on to attend a fashion school in Fukuoka.

However, this traditional school primarily focused on teaching garment-making techniques and sewing. Realizing that she could not learn the design skills she sought, she pursued creative activities on her own as extracurricular work. Just as she was about to graduate and start creating her own brand, she discovered the next step in her learning journey. She was recommended by her vocational school teacher to a new fashion school in Fukuoka, which was more like a "fashion cram school."

自分を探しに内の中へ、深く

To search deep within herself

おもしろいことに、ここまで順風満帆に歩んできたスムーズな人生が、逆に愛さんにとってのコンプレックスだったという。家族に恵まれ、何をしても肯定されていたため、人並に悩み、苦しみさえしていない自分は浅く、何もないのではないかと。その“悩み”に応えたかのような、この塾と出会いだった。

Curiously, her smooth and trouble-free life became a source of insecurity for her. With a supportive family and constant praise, she began to feel that, unlike others who faced difficulties, she was shallow and lacked depth. It seemed as though encountering this school was the answer to that “struggle”.

東京で活躍するファッションデザイナーであり、教育者でもある山縣良和氏が講師を務めるファッション塾は、完全にプレゼンテーションの授業。
「こういうことをしたいとプレゼンして、お互いに意見を述べ合うんです。作品を作る前に好きなものを出してといわれると、みんな装ったものを出してくる。オリジナルということにこだわる先生でしたから、すぐに見抜かれ、それは違うでしょ、と指摘されながら追求されるんです。みんな過去のことを探ったり、時に泣きながら自分の内を掘り下げていきました」

The fashion school, taught by Yoshikazu Yamagata, a fashion designer and educator active in Tokyo, focused entirely on presentation skills.
“We would present our ideas and then share feedback with each other. When asked to bring out what we liked before creating a piece, everyone would present something contrived. Our teacher, who was very particular about originality, would immediately see through it and challenge us, saying, ‘That's not right.’ We were pushed to dig deeper. Everyone would explore their pasts and, sometimes even in tears, delve into their inner selves.”

作るまえに、真の自分を知る。そこから生まれるオリジナルに出会うために。
愛さんもまた、原点である家族のこと、自分が好きなコト、モノを探し、突き詰めていく。それは今まで体験したことがないほど、深く潜り込みながら自分を掘り下げていくワークだった。そうして少しずつ潜んでいたものが現れてきた時、自分は形あるものではなく、形の見えないものに興味があったことに気づいたという。

自分が表現したいもの、制作したいものは、衣装や既製服を作ることではない。そこに違和感を抱いた時から大きく道が分かれ、自由なアートへと傾いていく。この気づきこそ、アーティスト小野愛の始まりだった。

Before creating, one must know their true self.
This journey leads to discovering genuine originality. She delved into her roots, her family, and what she truly loved, exploring and examining them thoroughly. This was an introspective journey unlike any she had experienced before, plunging deeply into her inner self. As she found these hidden aspects little by little, she realized she was more interested in intangible things rather than physical forms.

What she wanted to express and create was not about making costumes or ready-to-wear clothes. This feeling of discord led her to a different path, moving towards the world of free art. This realization marked the beginning of ONO MEGUMI as an artist.

制作の向かう先は希望しかない

Her creative path leads only to hope

決めたこと、というより気づいてしまったことに対して、愛さんは迷うことはない。アートに進むと気づいてから、実績はなかったが迷わず別府市で募集しているアーティストレジデンスに応募した。そこを拠点に、本格的にアートというジャンルの作品を制作するようになる。最初の作品は布で、ベッドに横たわる女性を制作した。女性の体内から、内臓のようなものがはみ出している。

Once she realized her true calling, rather than making a decision, she had no doubts. After recognizing her path in art, she confidently applied for an artist residency in Beppu City, despite lacking a portfolio.

Using this as her base, she began creating works in the art genre in earnest. Her first piece was made of fabric, depicting a woman lying on a bed. From within the woman's body, something resembling internal organs protruded.

生きていくということは、いろんなことがつきまとう。心地良いことだけではなく、嫌なこと、傷つくこと、悲しむこと。モヤモヤとする感情すらも、愛さんは無視できない。どんなネガティブなことすら自分の中に在るのだから、置き去りにせず時間をかけて向き合う。人を作りたいと思った時、今の自分が一番大半を占めているものは何だろうと考えた。悩みや辛さを表に出し、しっかりと見届ける。そして作品制作に向かう時、悩みは肯定され、消化されていた。内なる自分を見て、考えることを形にしていくことが、制作のコンセプトとなり、同時に彼女の生きるスタンスにもなっていた。

Living life means experiencing various things, both good and bad. She doesn’t ignore unpleasant feelings or sorrow. She recognizes the emotions are part of her and takes the time to face them.

When she wanted to create herself, she thought about what occupied her mind the most. She brought her worries and hardships to the surface and dealt with them. This process of reflecting on her inner self and turning her thoughts into art became the concept of her work and her approach to life.

愛さんは現在、生まれ育った大分を離れ、千葉県松戸市で生活をしている。福岡に５年、別府に６年、そして松戸と、気づけば数年以上経つと居を変えている。一つの所に留まり居心地がよくなると不安になるという愛さんにとって、移動生活は苦痛ではない。それぞれの地で生活をし、新しい人に触れ、様々な変化がある日常を生きる中で、ただ過ぎさっていく時間さえ無駄にせず、慈しむように救い上げて形にしていく。決して楽な作業ではない。時には苦痛もともなうけど、制作を始めれば向かう先は光でしかないことを知っているからこそ、迷いもなく進んでいける。

Currently, Ono lives in Matsudo City, Chiba Prefecture, away from her hometown of Oita where she was born and raised. Having lived in Fukuoka for 5 years, Beppu for 6 years, and now Matsudo, she has found herself changing residences every few years.

For her, who feels uneasy when staying too long in one place, this nomadic lifestyle isn't difficult. Living in different places, encountering new people, and experiencing daily changes, she cherishes and shapes her time carefully. It's not always easy and can be painful, but she knows that once she starts creating, the path ahead is bright. So, she moves forward without hesitation.

「作品を見て、けっこう暗かったり病んでるみたいな感じで見られることの方が多いですけど（笑）、わたしとしては制作する過程でもう、希望に向かっているんです」と明るくきっぱりと言葉にする。

“Many people often perceive my works are quite dark or melancholic (laughs), but for me, throughout the process of creation, I'm already moving towards hope,” she declares brightly and decisively.

家族の愛を一心に受け、幼少時代から走り続けたこと、遊び道具のように針を持たされたこと、美術室で絵を描き続けたこと、ファッション塾で初めて自分の内を掘り下げたこと、辛い別れを経験したこと…そんな時間がつむぎあって小野愛を作り、作品が生み出される。
布でも映像でも絵画でもツールは何でもいい。今の自分にとって、ぴったりと合わさる素材を見つけたら、彼女はまっすぐと向かうだけ。ただただその先にある希望という光に向かって。

Nurtured by unwavering family love, she has been running since childhood, was handed a needle like a toy, continued drawing in the art room, delved into her inner self for the first time at fashion school, and experienced painful goodbyes... These experiences have woven together to form ONO MEGUMI and her artworks are born from them.

Whether it's fabric, film, or painting, any tool will suffice. Once she finds the material that perfectly resonates with her current self, she simply heads straight towards the light of hope that lies ahead.