One of the events we went to was Yasumasa Morimura’s solo exhibition at the Japan Society this semester. Upon entering the Ego Obscura gallery, we were greeted with a famous painting Morimura created called “Une modern Olympia,” which is placed next to a similar painting called “Nippon Cha cha cha”. They both feature effeminate male prostitutes sitting up on a bed, with an attendant or suitor sitting at the side. Morimura puts features of his own face on the paintings, which summarizes most of the work presented in his gallery. In most of the art pieces, he takes renowned paintings, such as Van Gogh’s sunflowers or a self-portrait of Van Gogh and paints his own face into the buds or replaces the face entirely for his own. This may be a way for Morimura to explore his own identity by placing himself in the shoes (literally in the art) of other artists, exploring what they felt when they were painting their pieces. A lot of his pieces in the exhibit speak to his exploration of identity in Western art and how Asian characteristics featured in traditionally Western paintings change the meaning of the piece.

In one wing of the gallery, Morimura replaces the face of Mashima, a Japanese nationalist, with his own, furthering the idea that he is exploring the concept of “the self.” He also uses non-traditional gender roles and concepts, especially those about sexuality, which is incorporated in the paintings of the male prostitutes. He is appropriately labeled a Japanese appropriation artist, using digital manipulation to recreate iconic works with his own twist. In a short film that was being shown in the gallery, he explores his art pieces both as the artist and as the subject, revealing that he is a king in one piece and a woman in the next. The way he presents the art and himself is almost ethereal, defying how traditional art is often seen as. I find it particularly interesting that he takes on the identity of the subjects he paints and is able to incorporate that into his own self-image. Exploring identity often plays a big factor in art, but Yasumasa Morimura takes it to another level by placing himself in the art, developing his own identity while also playing with traditional takes on gender and sexuality.