Walking into the Japan Society and seeing Yasumasa Morimura’s Ego Obscura exhibit, I have to be honest, I was a little disturbed at first. The first part of the exhibit that I saw was the video that was playing in the back. Not only were the voices in the background raspy and heavy, but the whole vibe was dark. I took a seat and immediately got up five minutes later. However, after leaving the video, I was able to take a good look at his works of art. I thought the message of his art was very powerful how he was able to convey the message was quite inspiring. Yasumasa Morimura’s Ego Obscura exhibit included famous paintings or artworks with a twist. Instead of the typical white faces that you would normally see in these works of art, he incorporates his face into each of the pieces. He gives power and recognition to the Asian and Japanese community which normally lacks in representation in western art. I was taken aback by the fact that Yasumasa Morimura’s art is actually photographs rather than paintings. Taking a closer look at each piece, I realized how they were in fact photographs. This meant that Morimura posed, dressed, and even applied the makeup necessary for each piece onto himself. The amount of work and precision that went into each photography session amazed me.

One of the more famous works of arts and photographs that caught my eye includes the self-portrait of Vincent Van Gogh. Yasumasa Morimura recreates this famous painting except his face is at the center of it. I really enjoyed this piece of art because it put into perspective just how white dominated the world of art is in the west. Morimura highlights this and returns power back to himself. He is able to open the world of western art to other people that want to break the barrier and make their art heard and represented. I also enjoyed his recreation of the Mona Lisa. The Mona Lisa was one of the more interesting pieces because as you walked and viewed the art from different points of view, your perspective changed as well. At one point, the piece showed the Mona Lisa with Morimura’s face in it, and when you moved, it showed Mona Lisa nude. I thought it was interesting how he was not afraid to show the woman’s body. Overall, I enjoyed the message of Yasumasa Morimura’s art and I thought it was quite powerful.