Hugh Someya-Carr grew up between two cultures without fully belonging to either Japanese and British, spiritual and pop, Reading on a Saturday and London after Japanese school. That in-between space, rather than being a source of uncertainty, became the ground from which a distinctive artistic sensibility began to form. Currently in the second year of a fine art degree, Hugh Someya-Carr is already asking the right questions: about how painting can absorb the visual language of social media without being consumed by it, about how airbrush aesthetics can be arrived at through entirely different means, and about what it looks like when Dorian Gray, The Smiths, and the Bauhaus somehow end up in the same room.

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How has your upbringing or cultural heritage shaped the themes and techniques you explore in your art today?

Growing up in a mixed Japanese and British household has definitely given me a unique outlook. I am born and raised in the Reading, UK, which is the country’s largest town, fun fact. There is nothing much to do there. Luckily its quite close to London and when I was younger, I was made to go to Japanese school there, by my mum, on Saturdays. We would go out and explore the city after school so I would get to see art or museums frequently. My Dad has always loved music and from as early as I can remember, he would be playing all sorts of things. A memory that sticks out the most was when he would showed me Aphex Twin’s ‘Come to Daddy’ music video by Chris Cunningham when I was young. I remember it being so weird but also so cool and fascinating.

I think that although I didn’t know it at the time, I've always just been surrounded by something creative and thats definitely shaped who I am as an artist. I am lucky enough to keep in touch with my Japanese roots which feels very spiritual and in tune with the natural which definitely shows itself in my current work. Combine this with the pop culture and the media of British music and television, its what has made me who am I and definitely influenced my practice. Though I am very in touch with my backgrounds, Ive always been Ive always felt that I never quite fit in to either of these cultures, possibly because both countries feel quite right wing as of right now, so I feel like that is an underlying theme with the majority of my work.

Do you think art should have a political or ideological agenda?

Even without trying to, I think art ultimately becomes political. Art has always had an intimate relationship with politics and I don’t think we can escape that. When I create my work, I sometimes have no intention of making it political but to many people who view it, they infer it in a political way. 

Can you take us through the evolution of an artwork, from that first spark of inspiration to the finished piece?

My inspiration can almost come from anywhere. I could be listening to a song, or watching a film or even just scrolling on reels. Sometimes I will see or hear something, maybe even for a split second that sticks in my head and then I will write it down. I put them in a long list on my notes app of silly things that I think will inspire me at some point. I will then go back to these notes with a fresh mind and work my way back from there. I will then either spend a few minutes of sometimes days collaging a reference using photoshop and once thats finished, I will translate it into a painting. This is what happens most of the time when I make an artwork. Some other times, I will have had a few too many drinks and ideas will just pop into my head and I will go from there. Overall I think it depends on how I feel at the time. 

How do you feel social media is shaping the way art is created, consumed, and valued today?

I see social media as an infinite source for creating artwork. I think we live in a new and exciting time around art and as part of the newer generation I aim to use social media as a new tool to aid me in making my work. It’s how I see that art has changed after a technological progression, such as the invention of the internet, or even the camera, art is forced to change and evolve and that is happening now. Although I see social media as a positive in terms of getting inspiration and gaining recognition, I see how it diminishes art today. Many people will only ever see someone’s artwork through a screen and maybe then, only for a few seconds, and I think thats quite sad. 

How has your artistic style transformed over the years? Are there specific influences, experiments, or moments that marked a turning point?

A few years ago, my style was entirely different to what it is today. Although I think it had the same messages, my older work didn’t feel like me. I don’t think I had come to understand myself as an artist at that time yet. The point where it started to change was at the end of last year when I really tried to find what I really wanted to achieve in my art. I see a lot of airbrush art nowadays and I was quite fascinated in that, but I wanted to make it my own by exploring different painting techniques that weren’t airbrush but had a similar visual effect.

Reading and understanding art has made my vision clearer, as well as consuming other forms of art. I read Dorian Gray last year and that really changed the way I see things. I never really read many books so I’m glad I finally read something. I also had an odd fascination with listening to The Smiths last year too and I feel that somehow has influenced my art. A few specific art influences would be the Avant-garde, the Bauhaus. I will still however, always have a soft spot for 70s Vivienne Westwood. 

Do academic institutions still play a vital role in shaping artists today, or has self-taught creativity disrupted this tradition?

I think its a mixture of both really. Obviously I cant speak for every artist but from my personal experience, academic institutions have definitely shaped me as an artist. From both good and bad. Im currently in my second year of university and Im very grateful for my tutors there as they’ve given me many things to research which has helped in inspiring me. Its also good to go to a place where you can receive criticism or praise on a frequent basis which has helped me. On the other hand, I’m aware that some institutions kill a lot of artistic spark and force you down a route you don’t really want to go but I think thats where the self taught aspect comes into play. As an artist you don’t want to be confined in a box and want to disrupt that. I believe we need both academic and self taught aspects to shape artists.  

Artificial Intelligence is increasingly infiltrating creative fields. Do you see artificial intelligence as a threat, a tool, or a collaborator in the art world?

Like mentioned before, we live in a new era of technological development and its both scary and exciting to live around the development of AI. Of course I’m concerned about it taking creative jobs and its impact on the environment but art is a reaction to change. And this change is AI. I always tell people that this is probably how people felt when the camera was invented, but art was forced to change with the times and new art movements were formed because of it. I want to be able to help shape a new image of contemporary art which has clearly been impacted by artificial intelligence and I hope I’m somewhat contributing to that. I think I therefore see it as everything: a threat, a tool and a collaborator.  

What would the theme song of your artistic journey be, and how does it reflect your story?

Its almost impossible to pick just one song that would sum up my artistic journey. Ive always been surrounded by music and grown up around it. When I was younger, I loved the Sex Pistols and last year it was The Smiths that really shaped my journey. Currently I’m into the Frost Children and more electronic stuff. However, a song I would say I always go back to is ‘Moonage Daydream’ by David Bowie. I think the song is a creative journey in itself. It almost feels like I’m in the song with Ziggy Stardust and traveling through space and I guess I feel like I’m in this dreamlike state when I paint or make my artwork, escaping from the real world. Plus it really feels like a theme song.

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There is something refreshingly unresolved about this conversation, in the best sense. Hugh Someya-Carr is an artist still in the process of becoming, and is honest about that about the older work that didn't yet feel like the self, about the notes app full of ideas caught mid-scroll, about the occasional late-night creative breakthrough. What is already clear is a genuine curiosity about the world and a willingness to let that curiosity move freely across music, literature, politics, and paint. Moonage Daydream as a theme song makes complete sense: a creative journey through an invented atmosphere, escaping into something larger than the everyday.