One of the shows we were excited to visit in person this month in Tokyo was the legendary work of Hajime Sorayama, who seems to be riding a new wave of fame and notoriety with his sexual and futuristic fantasy paintings and sculptures. NANZUKA Underground just opened a new exhibition, Sex Matter, a new series of sexually graphic paintings to coincide with another new body of work, Trex showing at Nanzuka 2G (more on that tomorrow). 

There has always been a bit of wonder in the works of Sorayama, from his early works with Star Wars and now his explicit works centered on lust and sex. But he is always looking forward at what our bodies and fantasies may look like, and many ways, what our desires could become. Movies like Ex Machina or even Her have touched on the male's sexual fantasies in a not so distant future, and yet the Japanese artist has long been more overt and direct in his depictions. Metaphors are there, yes, but the graphic nature tends to draw you into a mixture of fantasy and erotica. 

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

____________________________________ Hajime Sorayama SEX MATTER March 14 - April 12, 2020 NANZUKA (Shibuya 2-17-3) Nanzuka is pleased to present two concurrent solo exhibitions featuring new works by artist Hajime Sorayama (1947-): “Sex Matter” at Nanzuka’s main gallery space, and “Trex” at Nanzuka 2G (Shibuya Parco). In his solo exhibition “Sex Matter” at Nanzuka, Sorayama took on the challenge to create robot works inspired through such aforementioned themes surrounding sex. While at first glance appearing like a peculiar scheme, it is through these works that Sorayama explicitly emphasizes the fact that life is born in this world through the existence of both the male and female sex. They can also be considered to suggest new issues of concern for the future that lies beyond themes such as physical remodeling, the post-human body, and AI. This exhibition features a selection of approximately 10 new paintings alongside new human-scale sculptural works. ____________________________________ #hajimesorayama #空山基 #sexmatter #loveandsex #arthistorynerd #contemporaryart #exhibition #painting #sculpture #nanzuka

A post shared by NANZUKA Gallery (@nanzukaunderground) on



In his solo exhibition Sex Matter, Sorayama took on the challenge to create robot works inspired through such aforementioned themes surrounding sex. While at first glance appearing like a peculiar scheme, it is through these works that Sorayama explicitly emphasizes the fact that life is born in this world through the existence of both the male and female sex. They can also be considered to suggest new issues of concern for the future that lies beyond themes such as physical remodeling, the post-human body, and AI. This exhibition features a selection of approximately 10 new paintings alongside new human-scale sculptural works.