Ikebana is meant to mimic life in the way it develops; it shouldn't look like it's under the control of man.

Basically, art should remain something that is complex, that has many layers, so there's always a possibility to reconsider things and have a different perspective. It's not just an advertisement with one single message that has some authority, political or not.

Ikebana is meant to mimic life in the way it develops; it shouldn't look like it's under the control of man.

For me, it would be very difficult to express an opinion about our times without humor. I don't think you could do that.

One of my assistants was on Instagram and showed me how it was working. I thought it was playful, the way you go through images, a little like cinema. It's a bit like a filmstrip that's animated by your finger.

I think my work is about the different strategies man has invented to deal with desire, frustration, fear of death, exhaustion. It's very much about life on earth.

For me, it's really important that the experience of art is always something that is able to provoke strong emotion, an emotion that you feel in your heart or your stomach, but also that challenges the brain at the same time. It's an experience - physical and intellectual.