Yasumasa Morimura’s exhibition at the Japan Society was very interesting. Seeing his art at first was very disorienting because it defies so many norms that we have been taught to normalize.

From what I understand, his art is about ego, as well as representation. The way I see it, he is being egotistical because he inserts himself into these famous pieces of art. It could be to increase the representation of Japanese people and features or it could be because he has such an inflated ego that he believes he should be in each painting. I personally believe that it is the former rather than the latter.

As I have written about before, representation is very important. As Rupi Kaur, an Indian poet writes:

“representation
is vital
otherwise the butterfly
surrounded by a group of moths
unable to see itself
will keep trying to become the moth
– representation”

― Rupi Kaur, The Sun and Her Flowers

Like Kaur implies, without representation, people can feel lost and out of place and can foster self-hate which can ultimately relate to many serious mental illnesses such as depression.

Morimura’s pieces also tackled racism, especially Doublannage. In his recreation, Morimura includes a second pair of hands, with a darker skin tone. This is also the reason his ego is eliminated, because this had to have been a conscious choice. The ring and the hats also add to an idea of wealth, which is not limited to only the people in these paintings (white people). Especially, the two hats and the two rings, as opposed to one of each in the original may be a subtle way to say, “we can be rich, and maybe even richer than all of you.”

Perhaps the one piece I was confused about at the exhibit was the Monna Lisa in Its Origin.  It seemed completely out of place as it changed depending on the angle it was viewed from but when looking at it head on, it did not seem as if it was any different from the original Da Vinci painting. I still am confused about Morimura’s intent with this piece as well as his motivation to create it.

Overall, however, our visit to the Japan Society was extremely entertaining and I enjoyed looking at Morimura’s pieces, as well as the general aesthetic of the Japan Society itself. The Bonsai trees and the water feature at the entrance was very calming and the bathrooms had fancy Japanese toilet robots. 10/10 would go back.