Odu Daku

He started by saying, in his thick and unusual Japanese accent, “I was always considered an odu daku (odd duck).” It occurred to me that this might have inspired one of his earlier works titled “Plucky Duck”, but I forgot to ask if this was the case. He went on to explain that he was trying to stage a performance piece on the Tokyo subway titled “Moon Over a Speeding Bullet Train”. After nearly being run over by said train, Hideki was arrested by Tokyo police and thrown into a psychiatric hospital, this being just the latest in a string of unconventional public behaviour on his part. His family refused to acknowledge that he was, indeed, a relative of theirs. So great is the shame of nonconformity in Japanese culture that I can’t say their response surprises me. It explains why Hideki fled Japan for a country more accepting of eccentricity, or, at least, one that tolerates it to some degree. Upon reflection, it makes sense that Hideki's fringe art was a hit first and foremost in Europe, where they seem to appreciate off-the-wall artists more than North Americans do.