next exhibition： Boris Mikhailov "Yesterday's Sandwich" current exhibition： Yasumasa MORIMURA     "Seasons of Passion / A Requiem: Chapter One"   Nov. 11, Sat., – Dec. 16, Sat., 2006 Closed on Mon., Sun. and National holidays Yasumasa Morimura     A Requiem: MISHIMA, 1970.11.25 - 2006.4.6  2006  Type C print,  120x160cm Shugoarts is pleased to announce a solo exhibition of new photo and video works by Yasumasa Morimura entitled Seasons of Passion / A Requiem: Chapter One. These new pieces take up the theme of Men in the 20th Century, unfolding through the following events: 1960    Assassination of Japan Socialist Party chairman Inejiro Asanuma by Otoya Yamaguchi 1963    Shooting of Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald by Jack Ruby 1968    Execution of a Vietcong prisoner during the Vietnam War 1970    Yukio Mishima’s failed coup d’état at Self Defense Force headquarters Each of the works is a recreation of the incidents perpetrated by these men, in a world of blood and sweat and collisions of the flesh quite different from today’s virtual realities. Morimura says the burning intensity of these encounters has inspired him to approach the 20th century as a series of Seasons of Passion. According to Morimura, the history of the 20th century is symbolized by the male. It is a history of action, conflict, construction, and destruction by men; with the passage into the 21st century, he says, we have entered into a feminine age. In his previous series such as Daughters of Art History and Actresses, he has used the father/daughter metaphor to elucidate Japan’s complex love-hate relationship with Western culture. In the present series, he suddenly shifts his gaze to the men symbolizing a past that many feel should be rejected, using the theme of the 20th century as a point of departure for a searching examination of the past and future of humanity. Without reverence and respect for the past, the future is impossible—and between them lies the present. As the new century takes shape around us at breakneck speed, pausing to question the meaning of the 20th century is not simply a reflection upon the past—it is a path to interrogating our present and our future. It is definitely not nostalgia that drives me as an artist to attempt to embody this past… In this body of new work, such an abrupt departure from what has gone before, one senses the intensity of Morimura’s engagement with this theme. In addition, this exhibition of Morimura’s recent work features Beyond Ordeal by Roses (Barakei no kanata e), a suite of eight pieces based on Eiko Hosoe’s Ordeal by Roses (1963), [a series of surrealistic photographs that featured Mishima as the principal model.] The transformations in Mishima’s world leading up to his abortive coup d’état attempt and suicide in 1970 overlapped with the turbulent events of the 60s in Japan, and can be seen as part of the larger flow of 20th century history. Mishima famously noted in an essay entitled “An Introduction to Eiko Hosoe (Hosoe Eiko josetsu), Photography must choose between documenting and bearing witness, and one can sense a similar perspective in this body of work by Morimura—since 20th-century photography was a medium that supported both artistic self-expression and the documentary approach. Morimura was born in 1951 in Osaka. He began creating self-portrait-based works in 1985. In 2005 he offered his own brand of contemporary satire in a much-discussed series of works based on Francisco Goya’s famous series of etchings, Los Caprichiosos. The current exhibition might be seen as a sequel, in different form. We hope you will introduce this bold and striking new vision of Morimura’s to your readers and viewers. Included in the show are also new paintings with female figures, but they are different than before: the image space is bright and the shapes are defined by drawn lines. The relation to Ikemura’s drawings is also visible in the strong dynamic and composition of the paintings. The main reference point of the whole show, however, is the sculpture Pino Pini. Out of three firm and stout legs, two busts develop, half melting into one another. Allusions to things grown – trees, animals, humans – arise, but there is nothing harmonic in this description of natural force. Rather, the essence of dramatic fight is depicted. The forceful, dominant pose of this merged creature is underlined by its rough surface, and it proudly presents its wounds and scars. Aggression, featuring only as a possibility in Ikemura’s seascapes, here is a prominent topic. Artist's Page back to exhibitions Copyright 2003 SHUGOARTS. All rights reserved. contact: SHUGOARTS info@shugoarts.com SHUGOARTS website since2003 designed by Kaori Hoya, Created by Kaneko Osamu