Analysis And Interpretation Of The Artworks Of Mr. – A Japanese Contemporary Artist

Widely known for his controversial and anime-inspired artworks, Japanese artist Mr. , aged 49, returns to Hong Kong for his new exhibition titled “People misunderstand me and the contents of my paintings. They just think they are nostalgic, cute, and look like Japanese anime. That may be true, but really, I paint daily in order to escape the devil that haunts my soul. The said devil also resides in my blood, and I cannot escape from it no matter how I wish. So I paint in resignation. ” (Perrotin, 2018). The former protégé of Takashi Murakami was born during 1969 in Japan, and as per usual produced art that portrays the “cute” preference within the Japanese culture such as manga, anime and video games. Walking around the exhibition my initial impression was quite negative, specifically the artwork on the first page.

This piece is composed of acrylic on cotton mounted on a wood panel with the dimensions 235 x 285 cm. At first glance my interpretation was that Mr. ’s artwork was quite sexist, as he portrayed the young women as hypersexualized. Mr. successfully achieves this through the anime-themed exaggerated facial structures, such as the wide eyes and doll shaped figures. Due to this, my initial reaction to the artwork was disappointing, as my understanding was that the artist was portraying young girls as “cute” cartoon characters and sexually objectifying women. But then one starts to realize that Mr. ’s artwork just embraces the Japanese cultural fascination for young children. This then relates back to the title of the exhibition. How people “misunderstand” the content within the artist’s paintings as an “exploration of his own fascination” (Kaikai Kiki, n. d. ). It could be possible that Mr. is purely expressing his emotions from his childhood trauma. As Mr. had multiple family problems such as an abusive older brother and unsupportive parents (Giles, 2018).

This frustration has been portrayed by using formal elements such as line, tone colour and shape. The aggravation can be observed by the persistent scribbling and crosses throughout the painting which disturbs the mood and coloured theme of the painting. The unorganized scribbles, crosses and paint splashes are aggressively painted, creating both an intense and depressing atmosphere. This allows Mr. to clearly depict his rough childhood. Though Mr. ’s paintings include a “cute” element, the gleeful picture is automatically corrupted once the audience notices rough strokes used throughout. One could also argue that Mr. ’s painting is a cultural commentary relating to the suffering of the Japanese during World War II. This can be seen in the painting above where the Mr. decided to paint a massive cross with “Happy” painted on the left side and “Peace” painted on the right. This could describe Japans victimization during World War II and how the Japanese had to surrender and make peace. Within the painting there are also flames and bright colours with structures that look like a flash of light. This could depict the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The flash of light starts from scribbles at the top of the painting and ends cross mentioned before. This could be Mr. ’s way of trying to express how the atomic bombings were morally wrong and how that course of action led to peace. In order to understand the context, It is fundamental to perceive Mr. ’s artwork through the perspective of the Japanese. Whether it is understanding the heavily influenced anime structures or the trauma experienced during World War II.

Also for the audience to not misinterpret the content as sexist, it is vital for them to understand that Japan has strictly followed gender norms and accepted gender roles till this day. The characters in Mr. ’s artwork are all grinning, with empty eyes only mirroring the reflection of landscapes just like what Mr. had painted. The meaning behind this could be just as simple as representing the youth culture within Japan. It’s important now to ask whether this is art. Or just a way for the artist to escape reality and step into a more comfortable fantasy? Could this include a very subtle use of satire? Satirizing the idea of conforming to Japans social/gender norms? It could just be “an extension of Japanese traditions of erotic and popular representation” (Estiler, 2018). Or it could be all. That’s where the beauty lies in the artwork, the fact that this one painting could represent all the ideas that have been mentioned above.

Mr has mentioned in the past that the reason for all this “was a matter of making anime and manga into art”. Mr. mentions that anime artists are “very skilful” and that he isn’t as skilful so he makes parts of his art using the “internet and computer graphics”. This stems from Mr's. fixation on basic picture preparing by PCs, principally because of the artist’s low-tech inclinations. This outcomes in the incessant utilization of silkscreen imprinting to create the coveted articulations on canvas (Estiler, 2018). Mr. has also previously mentioned that the intention of his art is to portray his “personal fantasies” rather than focussing on “cultural commentary”. This may seem to solve the puzzle behind the intention of the artist’s work. Although Mr. commends a diversion from reality into the clearly more secure virtual universe, the fact remains the same, that everyone is entitled to their opinion and shall interpret a piece of art from whatever perspective they seem fit. But as Mr. mentioned in the title of his exhibition, people tend to misinterpret his intentions, therefore guidance by using context and historical significance is needed to achieve the intended meaning. This so called “guidance” can be found in the books displayed and handouts provided in the exhibition. These sources properly contextualize the work, preventing any possible “misinterpretation”. This is evident from the drastic change in my perspective from the moment I saw the painting till after I read the handouts.

For further improvements, it would have been a more insightful handout if more information on the childhood trauma was provided and possible inspirations for his artwork. Unravelling the meaning behind the fascinating Mr. ’s artwork was definitely a wonderful experience. Stepping into the mind of a traumatized artist through exploring multiple perspectives and embracing the Japanese culture was definitely an adventure. I truly recommend visiting Mr. ’s collection of internal healing which is being exhibited at the Perrotin located at 50 CONNAUGHT ROAD CENTRAL, 17TH FLOOR - HONG KONG from September 14th to October 20th.