(Publication: VPUBLIC 萬象國 issue 20130407, 13x19 inches matte paper, archival inkjet, 2013)
Tomio Nitto is an illustrator based in Toronto. He also creates personal artwork; last year (2023), we exhibited a series of more than 30 of his oil paintings. We’re good friends, and he is one of the happiest and most optimistic people we’ve met in Toronto. His name, when written in kanji, translates to “sun 日,” “pagoda 塔,” “wealth 富,” and “man 夫.” Over ten years ago, I created a piece based on these kanji characters of his name. It consists of four images mounted on four small wooden blocks, and it’s also part of my Mobile Poetry Lab series. I gifted the piece to him as a keepsake. Every time I visit his home, I see those four small photo works displayed on his desk. I think he must be quite fond of that piece.
In a 2013 issue of VPUBLIC 萬象國, I published this work, though what was featured was only the original images, not a photo documentation of the finished piece. I also published a four-line poem at the same time, which was a translation inspired by those four images and, naturally, infused with my subjective feelings and impressions of Tomio.
Tomio Nitto，居多倫多的插圖家。他也做個人創作，去年（2023）我們展出過他一組共30多張的油畫。我們是好友，他也是我們在多倫多遇上最快樂，和最樂觀的人。他的名字如果用漢字的寫法：日sun塔pagoda富wealth夫man。十多年前我用他的漢字名字做了一個作品，四個圖本，分別裱貼在四個小塊木件上。也算是我的游動詩寫室系列中的一件作品。是個作品我送予他自藏。每次我造訪他家，都看見該四個小圖木本，立放於他的案頭。大扺他也是很喜歡該件作品吧。在2013年的一期「萬象國」，我發刊了這件作品，不過所發刊的只是圖像原稿，而不是完成物的照片記錄。我又同時發刊了一首四行詩，是從該四個圖象所衍生出來的譯本，當然，文本也套入了我對Tomio的主觀感覺和印象。
去年夏日暖意還在游游漾漾
塔疊層層輪轉繞旋拔空而上
浮游起落移動豐盛泉湧心中
悠悠自得閙市喧嘩花開花落