Hajime Sorayama "Space Traveler" （Nanzuka 2G）

Hajime Sorayama "Space Traveler"

Finished

Artists

Hajime Sorayama

This solo exhibition by Hajime Sorayama is being held concurrently across the three venues.

Sorayama has established his position as a legendary artist both within Japan and overseas for his extensive oeuvre that centers upon an ongoing pursuit of beauty regarding the human body and the machine. His signature body of work titled the “Sexy Robot” series (1978-), which integrates the aesthetic beauty of the female body into the context of the robot has come to present a significant influence on the subsequent formulation of robotic imagery. Sorayama is known for depicting all kinds of robots ranging from human figures to animals, and dinosaurs, yet he is considered unconventional within the more orthodox context of contemporary art, also due to his illustration of fetishistic female nudes. Sorayama never hides his interest in the beauty of the human body, the intrinsic intellectual curiosity of human beings, and the energy toward desire=life. At the same time, he boldly challenges political and religious taboos through the expressions in his work. He firmly believes issues to be resolved by bringing attention to a topic and creating a platform for discussion rather than through silence, and to do so tries to maintain an innocent and almost child-like mindset from time to time. As a result, Sorayama denies being called an artist, instead referring to himself as an entertainer as a means to also emphasize his stance as a radical creator.

In his 2020 solo exhibition “Sex Matter” at Nanzuka, Sorayama took on the challenge to create robot works inspired by the depiction and treatment of sex in art. While at first glance appearing like a peculiar scheme, it is through these works that Sorayama explicitly emphasized that life is born into this world through the existence of both the male and female sex. On the other hand, the exhibition "Space Traveler" presents an imaginary narrative of a future beyond human physicality. Through Sorayama's works, viewers are made to fantasize about a world after the age of humans- a place inhabited by beings that despite appearing to be human-like, are indeed non-human. The works naturally stimulate our imagination and creativity, intertwining themes such as the nature and definition of human intelligence, the body, and time. Alternatively, they could be perceived as implying whether technology will surpass the limits of human bodies and bring about eternal life, or whether there will be a future where artificial intelligence coexists with humans.

At Nanzuka Underground, which serves as the main venue, Sorayama will present a large-scale installation of new human-sized robot sculptures, his very first video work made using CG technology, and a selection of large canvas paintings that he has been actively working on in recent years. The exhibitions at Nanzuka 2G and 3110NZ by LDH Kitchen will also showcase sculptures and paintings from the same series.