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UJOP as a school of experiences. Interview with Japanese artist Moemi Yamamoto

Five years ago, after travelling around Europe and living in Japan again, she took an intensive Czech language course at UJOP. This enabled her to successfully pass the entrance exam to her desired Academy of Fine Arts (AVU) in Prague and then to fully pursue her career as a respected painter, which Moemi Yamamoto certainly is today.

Your way to the Czech Republic took you through various European countries. How do you find life here compared to life in Japan and in other European countries? Why did you choose Prague to live in?

I came to Europe when I was around twenty. At that time, I was already studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Japan. During the school holidays I travelled to Greece for the first time. Then, after graduation, to Italy. For the next seven years I worked for a company in Japan and travelled around Spain on business. Then I quit that company because I always dreamed of living in Europe. It was the first step for me to make that dream come true. But I didn't know what the best place for me would be. This time I travelled around Poland and the Czech Republic.

You can get a lot of information about Western Europe in Japan, but you don't learn much about Central Europe there, which is why it was sort of more mysterious and appealing to me. Then I wanted to find the best place to live in Poland or the Czech Republic. Before I came to Prague for the first time, I had already thought a little bit that it could be the perfect town for me. I'm a big Kafka fan and Prague seems like the kind of magical town Kafka described in his books. So, I decided to try and live here.

Did you decide right away that you wanted to learn Czech?

Yes. My English wasn't very good, and I also figured that to get to know the local culture and communicate with Czechs, I couldn't do without the Czech language.

What surprised or still surprises you most about the Czech society?

I was surprised, for example, that Czechs dress as they want. In Japan, when you feel like wearing something, you think a lot about what others would say to it. In Chechia, I think people dress very nicely and originally, they combine colours in different ways and I like it. I was also surprised at how most Czechs do not hide their emotions and honestly say what they think. In Japan, it's rather the opposite, we hide our feelings so that we don't offend someone or so that someone wouldn't gossip about us. The honest society here definitely suits me better.

How did you personally benefit from your studies at UJOP?

I took an intensive Czech course at Albertov, for a total of one and a half years. During those three semesters I learned to communicate in Czech at a basic level. We also learned practical skills, like how to make phone calls or write e-mails in Czech. I remember how we tried to make a doctor's appointment, a hairdresser's appointment, order some goods, book a table in a restaurant... All this helped me a lot, and we also learned interesting things about Czech culture. I'm also still in touch with several former classmates, friends from UJOP.

How did studying at UJOP help you in your later studies at AVU?

Very much. I don't think I would have been able to achieve a good result in the entrance exam to the Academy of Fine Arts without studying at UJOP. I had a B2 level, thanks to which I understood everything they asked me in the exam. The study itself was another challenge for me, I recorded every lecture and listened to it repeatedly at home to understand everything.

In your current career as a painter, do you use Czech on a daily basis?

Not every day, I guess, but when I have an opportunity, for example at an exhibition opening where I have to explain something about my work, I like to use it. Otherwise, my work as a painter is more about focusing on painting itself. Fortunately, I have a shared studio and there are other artists working around me, so when I meet friends from across the corridor, I also use Czech.

What are you currently working on and what are your plans?

I am preparing some exhibitions. Just two days ago I finished the painting you see behind me, for example. I want to put it in a group exhibition at the Bold Gallery in Prague with the Ma_Scary theme. Otherwise, I am planning five more exhibitions this year, so I have to work really hard. I'm also very motivated by the fact that thanks to collectors and galleries the demand for my paintings is really high. Usually, when I finish a painting, it's sold right away.

That's great. Which of the upcoming exhibitions are you most looking forward to?

Probably the one at the international market in Taiwan, that'll be great. Last year was my first time at the Barcelona International Fair and I definitely want to exhibit in other countries, so I hope it will work out.

Fingers crossed. Finally, why would you recommend studying at UJOP to students, perhaps specifically to those from Japan?

The teachers at UJOP are very nice, kind and I think they love their job. I was also able to experience various activities such as concerts and exhibitions. I also remember meeting Czech students. It was not easy for me as a Japanese at the beginning of the semester to meet someone here, but thanks to these events of UJOP, called Find Your Czech, I was able to meet Czech students of Japanese Studies from Charles University. This is how I met Czech friends with whom I still keep in touch. I am even still in contact with one of the teachers, although I graduated five years ago. Sometimes she writes to me to ask how I'm doing, about exhibitions... I had never met a teacher like that before. To me, UJOP is not just an ordinary language school, it gives you experiences that help you enjoy your life here.