K. Itoi: Yasumasa Morimura: Requiem for the XX Century, Twilight of the Turbulent Gods
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Жанр: Thames and Hudson
Издательство: Thames&Hudson, 2008
«The Japanese artist Yasumasa Morimura is a controversial figure in the world of contemporary art. His photographs present an original re-elaboration of themes central to visual culture by showing the artist himself in the role of artistic subjects and historical figures. Morimura reinterprets in particular the works of famous painters, from Velazquez to Goya, Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt van Rijn and Frida Kahlo. Ideas central to his photography, such as the difference between «to see» and «to be seen», and the ambiguity of gender in contemporary society — stressed by the artist's preference for the female body, — stimulate thought on political and religious issues. Popular culture is another of Morimura's interests, as shown in his interpretation of Western movie stars like Marilyn Monroe and Brigitte Bardot. Morimura aims to highlight the changing perceptions of his own self, and, at the same time, his ability as an artist to experiment with universal characters. This is the challenge that he presents at his next exhibition in Venice opening during the Biennale. Requiem for the Twentieth Century shows historical twentieth-century figures, from Che Guevara to Mao Tsedong, from Chaplin's Hitler to Vladimir Lenin, caught in moments of fatigue and distress. Among them we find Yukio Mishima — Morimura's own alter ego — who, at the suicidal cry of «Banzai! Banzai! Banzai! Banzai! Long Live Art!» expressed the artist's ultimate sacrifice to art.»