We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mason Kodera a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Mason, appreciate you joining us today. Looking back on your career, have you ever worked with a great leader or boss? We’d love to hear about the experience and what you think made them such a great leader.

I once spotted an art director I greatly admired at a party and mustered the courage to talk to him. To my surprise, we quickly hit it off, discovering that we shared the same hometown and university. During our conversation, he suggested that I work as his assistant. At the time, I was unsure where to begin with my career, so I eagerly accepted his offer and started going to his studio.

However, to cut to the chase, I was fired just a few months later. It was one of the biggest setbacks of my life. Simply put, my ego was too strong, and I wasn’t suited to being an assistant. According to him, my ambition and drive overshadowed my ability to support others, making me unsuitable for such a role. He even said that while it might be possible to “fix” this trait, doing so would crush the very qualities that made me who I am.

Even after being fired, I wasn’t ready to walk away. I followed him around, eager to learn more and work with him in any way I could. That’s when he told me, “This isn’t the end,” and entrusted me with the complete graphic design work for a major music video project. He recognized that while I wasn’t cut out to be an assistant, I could thrive as an independent graphic designer.

Today, we are as close as family. Looking back, I believe he helped me navigate a challenge that many young creatives struggle with, and for that, I am deeply grateful. His guidance allowed me to face my weaknesses and move forward with clarity and confidence.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is mason kodera. I am an artist based in Brooklyn, originally from Shizuoka, Japan. My work explores eroticism as a central theme, not merely as sexual desire, but as a fundamental aspect of human existence.

In my understanding, eroticism emerges in realms where the self is transcended – through love, sex, and death. It’s intimately connected with taboos and the boundaries of existence. While this may seem like an abstract concept, it’s precisely this complexity that captivates me. For me, eroticism is an inquiry into the nature of self-existence, and art is my method of exploration.

My artistic practice primarily takes the form of functional products and jewelry. By creating art that exists as tools or devices, I attempt to approach human existence itself. Just as a pianist cannot exist without a piano, I believe tools can serve as mediums that touch the core of our being.

The origin of my artistic journey is deeply personal. As the youngest of three siblings, I was deeply loved in my early childhood. However, around the age of nine, my mother said something that changed everything: “You used to be cute…” The pain and anger of that moment stay with me to this day. It was then I realized my identity had been dependent on my cuteness, and from that moment, my heart began seeking love and existence in the outside world. This experience became the foundation of my obsession with visual beauty and self-existence.

I discovered eroticism as a philosophical concept during graduate school, and it gave name to what I had been unconsciously seeking. For me, eroticism is about self-exploration and the human desire to overcome our fundamental solitude. Through love, we achieve spiritual fusion; through sex, physical fusion. We seek to merge with others to escape our solitude and transcend our individual boundaries. This isn’t mere excitement – it’s an exploration of the very essence of human existence.

As an artist, I create experiential art pieces—rings, home products, and devices that people can interact with. Participation is crucial in the experience of eroticism. I aim to make viewers active participants in my art, transforming the experience into a form of self-extension. In essence, my art seeks to become one with you.

The following are the concepts of my works.

[Ring – Mother]
A work themed on returning to the mother’s womb. What is important in this work is not wearing a ring but entering into the presence of the Mother. At that moment, the subject of existence shifts from you to the Mother. The womb is the only place where the continuous state of being one with another person (the mother) exists. Humanity’s desire to become one with others likely stems from the primal experience of continuity within the womb. In other words, this piece is a device that embodies the eroticism sought by humans

[Ring – Egoist]
Sperm chasing themselves symbolizes an endless pursuit of self-discovery. The mission of sperm is to fuse with the egg. However, as most sperm perish without fulfilling their purpose, should all sperm still aim for the egg? Should they all engage in the greater mission in their world? I believe that eroticism is a form of self-pursuit. This piece emphasizes the importance of confronting your own existence, regardless of the rules of the society you were born into.

[Ashtray – Liminal]
This ashtray is an erotic device that transforms the act of smoking into an act of interference with others. Its brutalist-inspired concrete walls are shaped to resemble the human body, with the mouth and anus serving as entry points that allow access from the external world.
I once attended an experimental sex party dressed as a woman. In that environment, everyone treated me as female, and I was intensely desired by men. At that moment, I felt entirely like a woman on the inside. Wearing women’s clothing and being perceived as a woman made it almost impossible not to embody that identity. It was then that I realized my sense of self is shaped by the environment around me.
This ashtray reflects this dynamic transformation. Each time someone rubs out a cigarette’s ashes, the interior colors shift and change. This piece represents the transformation of the self through interactions with others and highlights the inherent instability of ego.

[Incense Holder – Tribute]
This incense holder is designed to enrich the time spent reflecting on a loved one. It embodies the presence of the other within oneself and the introspective cultivation of love for others. The time spent thinking of someone is as precious as the time spent with them. I view masturbation as a sacred act of meditation, elevated to an even more sensual experience through the aroma of incense.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, the greatest joy of being an artist is that it brings meaning to life itself. There was a time when I believed that every limited moment should be dedicated to creation, leaving no room to look outward at the world. I had a strong desire to create art, but I couldn’t find the answer to what I should express.

The turning point came when my partner brought change into my life. She led me out into the world, showing me landscapes and experiences I had never known. Through those moments, I realized something profound: unless you seek to know and feel the world, unless you deeply observe it, you have nothing meaningful to express to the world.

Now, I find great purpose in channeling the discoveries and realizations of each day into my work, sharing new perspectives through my creations. To know and convey the beauty, contradictions, and mysteries of the world—that, I believe with all my heart, is my mission and the source of life’s brilliance.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I used to work as a graphic designer, creating visuals for music videos, CDs, and clothing. Looking back, although it was client work, I was starving for self-expression, and I realize now that much of what I created was driven by my own ego.

After entering graduate school, I began studying eroticism and came to see it as a philosophy of life. Once I started exploring the fundamental aspects of human existence through the lens of eroticism, I realized that what truly matters is not how others evaluate your work, but staying true to what you genuinely want to create.

Although making and selling my own work is a challenging path, I now feel that choosing this direction was the right decision. It allows me to be honest with myself and create in a way that is deeply meaningful to me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://masonkodera.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/masonkodera/