This August, EMON Photo Gallery is excited to announce a solo exhibition of Yuji Susaki’s series 「COSPLAY zmade in Japan」. Active as both artist and art producer, Susaki has spent the last fifteen years examining the relationship between eroticism and disguising oneself as a fictitious character (costume play), kneading his ideas and discoveries over this time into the perspective apparent in 「COSPLAY made in Japan」. Susaki has painstainkingly directed every aspect of this series, from props and styling to hair and make up. He combines a delicate and dextrous manual touch with uniquely Japanese elements such as ‘oiran’ courtesans, uniformed bus tour guides and even samurai. His models are sparsely adorned with only the key elements of each persona to create a ‘less is more’ interpretation of cosplay that seeks to provoke an evolution of Japanese fetishism itself. This wit-filled rendition of contemporary cosplay is available for viewing at EMON Photo Gallery from August 24th until September 14th. As a special addition and in conjunction with this exhibition, we present a series of collaborative cosplay photographs by Susaki featuring Denpa Gumi, the latest in-vogue idol group hot off the streets of Akihabara.
[作家コメント] Costume play....the enjoyment of dressing up. Why do people dress up? To pretend, to change ourselves. Ourselves on the surface, ourselves underneath. Before long, I who have become so accustomed to pretense will lose contact with my true self. Adorning a falsehood, telling a lie. Wearing what others wear in order to nestle closer,buying security. But underneath I writhe in agony, trying to find my true self. The self I want to protect, and the self I want to destroy. I exist always as a mixture of external and internal, naked and clothed. What am I trying to cover up? Costume play. Do I really enjoy all this pretending? I believe I do. After all, humans have always enjoyed both the outer and the inner.
Yuji Susaki
[作家プロフィール] Born in 1963. Susaki moved to New York in 1988 after graduating from Nihon University with a degree in photography. Studies in New York were centered on photography and included woodblock prints and oil painting, leading to Susaki’s first solo exhibition in SoHo in 1990. Returning to Japan in 1992 to work freelance, he made his start in advertising, fashion, music photography and more. With mainly people and flowers as subject, he works with the shadows cast by gentle lighting and seeks to portray contrary elements in delicate balance.
Exhibitions 1990 familiar Z Gallery (New York) 1992 symmetry Mariposa Gallery (Tokyo) SPIRIT Guardian Garden gallery (Tokyo) 1994 silence of organs Mariposa Gallery (Tokyo) BooBs East Gallery (Tokyo) 1997 flowers Tokyo Gas Gallery (Tokyo) 2008 space Saito Gallery (Hokkaido)
Awards 1992 Guardian Garden Competition 1st prize 2012 PX3 prix de la photographie Paris 3rd prize Fine art-professional 2012 International Photography Award Honorable Mention in Fine art 2013 PX3 prix de la photographie Paris 3rd Prize Fine art-professional
Publications Push Me 2007 photo book sweet joshi 2011 photo book bon bon lolita 2012 photo book Cosplay made in Japan 2012 photo book
OPENING PARTY> August 24, 2013 (Sat) 18:00~20:00 Admission free
TALK SHOW September 2, 2013 (Mon) 18:00~20:00 Yuji Susaki x Moga (Denpa Gumi) x Seiji Komatsu
全文提供:EMON PHOTO GALLERY
会期:2013.08.24 SAT ~ 09.14 SAT 時間:11:00 - 19:00 closed on Sunday,National Holiday 会場:EMON PHOTO GALLERY
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