NANZUKA is pleased to present Space Traveler, a solo exhibition with Hajime Sorayama held concurrently across the three venues of NANZUKA UNDERGROUND (Jingumae, Shibuya), NANZUKA 2G (Shibuya PARCO 2F), and 3110NZ by LDH kitchen (Meguro).
Hajime Sorayama has established his position as a legendary artist both within Japan and overseas for his extensive oeuvre that centers upon an on-going pursuit for beauty regarding the human body and the machine. His signature body of work titled the “Sexy Robot” series (1978-), which integrates the aesthetic beauty of the female body into the context of the robot, had come to present a significant influence on the subsequent formulation of robotic imagery. Sorayama is known for depicting all kinds of robots ranging from human figures to animals, and dinosaurs, yet he is considered unconventional within the more orthodox context of contemporary art due to him also illustrating fetishistic female nudes. Sorayama never hides his interest in the beauty of the human body, the intrinsic intellectual curiosity of human beings, and the energy towards desire=life. At the same time, he boldly challenges political and religious taboos through the expressions in his work. He firmly believes issues to be resolved by bringing attention to a topic and creating a platform for discussion rather than through silence, and in order to do so, tries to maintain an innocent and almost child-like mindset from time to time. As a result, Sorayama denies being called an artist, instead referring to himself as an entertainer as a means to also emphasize his stance as radical creator.
In his 2020 solo exhibition “SEX matter” at NANZUKA, Sorayama took on the challenge to create robot works inspired through the depiction and treatment of sex in art. While at first glance appearing like a peculiar scheme, it is through these works that Sorayama explicitly emphasized the fact that life is born into this world through the existence of both the male and female sex. On the other hand, the exhibition "Space Traveler" presents an imaginary narrative of a future beyond human physicality. Through Sorayama's works we are made to fantasize about a world after the age of humans ―a place inhabited by beings that despite appearing to be human-like, are indeed non-human. The works naturally stimulate our imagination and creativity, intertwining themes such as the nature and definition of human intelligence, the body, and time. Alternatively, they could be perceived as implying questions of whether our technology will surpass the limits of our bodies and bring about eternal life, or whether we will see a future where artificial intelligence coexists with humans.
At NANZUKA UNDERGROUND which serves as the main venue, Sorayama will present a large-scale installation of new human-sized robot sculptures, as well as his very first video work made using CG technology, and a selection of large canvas paintings that he has been actively working on in recent years. The exhibitions at NANZUKA 2G and 3110NZ by LDH kitchen will also showcase sculptures and paintings from the same series , and a limited-edition “Space Traveler 1/6 scale” will also be released.
