mr. turns galerie perrotin into a milieu of japanese neo-pop

japanese neo-pop artist mr. has transformed galerie perrotin’s seoul space into an immersive environment, with new works interspersed throughout. on from now through february, 18 2017, the solo show titled ‘tokyo, the city I know, at dusk: it’s like a hollow in my heart’ surrounds visitors in the artist’s kaleidoscopic and multi-faceted creative universe. mr. — a protégé of takashi murakami and a founding member of art production company kaikai kiki — offers gallery-goers an exclusive peek into his secretive and imaginative mind — one that draws from a diverse range of sources, including robert rauschenberg’s assemblages and the italian arte povera movement.

within galerie perrotin, visitors enter a large disheveled room, deteriorated as if a tsunami swept through. inside this turbulent environment, a series of large cutouts of young girls’ heads is set against the backdrop of tokyo at dusk. the installation subtly draws from the context of post-war japan, and its recent disasters — both natural and manmade. a disorder that takes over the gallery and exhibition space can be imagined as a mirror of this troubled recent history.

standing in contrast to this chaos is a full-scale statue of a young girl wearing a school uniform, an emblem of purity. embodying the essence of ‘moe’ — the attraction to anime and manga characters — the sculpture characterizes mr.’s self-professed ‘otaku’ identity — a person who is obsessed with computers or particular aspects of pop culture.

mr.’s ‘cute’, manga-style characters are deeply rooted in the psychological trauma that developed as a result of modern-day adversity. following WWII, a traumatic event that left japan in a state of uncertainty, interest in anime culture grew on an exponential scale. its often innocent and untainted characters, immune to real world problems, would go on exciting adventures and successfully achieve their mission. embodying the idea of brighter future, these figures appealed to people who ‘require a narrative in one form or another — whether it be religion or sci-fi — in order to cope with living on in the face of such a massive loss and sense of helplessness,’ according to the artist. with this in mind, mr.’s innocent young girls can be seen as harboring a deep rooted and complex psyche that need to be considered beyond their vulnerable appearance.

‘tropical jucie @ school’, 2016 | acrylic on linen mounted on wood panel | 27 9/16 x 19 5/16 inches / 70 x 49.1 cm
image © 2016 mr./kaikai kiki co., ltd. all rights reserved, courtesy of the artist and galerie perrotin

‘yoshii- (ch) !! go’, 2016 | acrylic and pencil on canvas mounted on wood panel | 63 x 51 3/16 in / 160 x 130 cm
image © 2016 mr./kaikai kiki co., ltd. all rights reserved, courtesy of the artist and galerie perrotin

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galerie perrotin's seoul space turned into a milieu of japanese neo-pop and manga by mr.

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