Artist
of the Month:
AKIRA WAKUI
EXHIBITION
@ZAKKA GALLERY
NEW YORK
11/13-/4-12/05/04
GYOKUSAIMARU
– An enemy exists in my own. –
The
exhibition title “Gyokusaimaru”
is a character from this series.
The word “Gyokusaimaru”
was used widely in Japan during
war. It has meaning like “Moral,
honor, To die in honor” and
it express that Japan’s patriotic
sentiments and remind us the dark
memories of during war, but on the
contrary words like “Japanese
man” or “Japanese spirit”,
like “Bushido; the code of
the samurai” “Samurai
spirit” which consist of positive
images are also part of the word
“Gyokusaimaru.”
When I look at Japan now, they will
not have solid thoughts toward other
foreign countries, but as for my
thoughts and feelings I would like
to express them truthfully through
my character, which is “Gyokusaimaru.”
And now thing happening around the
world such as war, which is caused
by religion, politics, difference
in values, culture, human race,
things that people cannot accept
each other, which is a problem exists
within our feelings-, which in another
words, -an enemy exists in my own.
-
As myself, born and raised in Japan,
I would like to try if it is possible
to go beyond words and express my
thoughts by using figures which
I can express myself the best.
After viewing 2 figure series, if
you can feel some part of what I
expressed in the exhibition title
“Gyokusaimaru,” I would
be grateful. |
2 Figure
Series:
[WELCOME]
Characters accepting, understanding
each other in a happy, loving
world of beautiful arcadia, represent
WELCOME series. The concept for
this series is “Peace.”
[STORM STREET ZERO]
This is the opposite of “WELCOME”
series, which represents “War.”
Between the countries and individual
human being, how “War”
exists within us.
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AKIRA
WAKUI -
Born in Nagasaki Japan.
Kyoto Seika University, Graduated in Art
and Design Major. Since April 2001, started
to work on art projects. website:
www.wakuiweb.com
"Since
I was little, I was surrounded by
TV and comic books. In my eyes,
there were always many different
characters making appearances and
I was invited to their imagery world.
And even when the TV show ended,
or finished reading the comic book,
the character existed in my head
and the story continued on. Many
Heroes and their enemies mixed in
and fought in my head. I have created
my own version of enemy when Hero
has already beaten the villain on
screen or in comics. My imagination
was so realistic, and when I realize
it doesn’t exist, I felt unbalanced.
In order the retain balance between
imagination and reality, I started
drawing and creating figures out
of clay. This was 25 years ago,
but still I am doing same thing.
Only thing that has changed would
be all the hero and enemy are my
original characters and they are
developing their own independent
world. So that is how I am creating
my work, in Japan they are called
“Figure.” Currently
“Figure” is mass manufactured
and sold, also produced limited
and sold exclusively as original
piece. It is widely targeted from
little children to famous collectors.
The figure existence accepted from
young to old, male and female, but
even same figure is viewed as “Toy”
or “Art” piece depend
upon the individual. To be honest,
I do not know if my work is categorized.
It doesn’t have to be one
of the other; as long as I have
the will to create I will keep on
creating. And for people who developed
some kind of feeling toward my work,
such as “cool” or “cute”,
that will break the spoken language
barrier and bring many opportunities
to meet people around the world.
Communication beyond words is very
precious to me and I hope to keep
this in mind at all times."
- AKIRA WAKUI |
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In
my hometown, filled with nature,
sometimes there are mismatching
big garbage's that are thrown out
and left behind for a long time.
That will remain where it’s
left, and spend a long, long time
under the rain, paint will come
off and the body will rust.
Their existence within the silence,
I feel those machines are quietly
living inside of those heavy shells,
they saw many things, where they
are thrown out and the rusted colored
water after the rain looks like
their sweat or tears.
Robots and machines will be part
of our everyday life now and in
the future, but they are also made
by human hands. I wonder if they
will go through same fate as those
machines I saw in my hometown. If
they are no long needed, they will
be thrown out and sleepless days
will be waiting for them.
After the long silence of those
machines, and after mankind has
gone to eternal sleep, maybe they
will be release by their silence
and start to move on their own with
their own thoughts. Since human
memory has sunk into their bodies,
they will act just like human. They
will think, get confused, and have
fun as if they are truly human beings.
And they will rejoice their own
days. I am drawing and creating
those days when robots and machines
are living in happiness. |
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