Momoyo Torimitsu Exhibition
Jane Kim / Thrust Projects
This event has ended.
One of the most prominent artists to come out of Japan in the late 90's, Momoyo Torimitsu creates sculptures, installations, videos and photographs that force the viewer to reconsider the effect of capitalism in daily life, the hypocritical imagery of corporate culture; the media stereotypes of happiness, cuteness, and smiling; and the global obsession with consumerism. Torimitsu presents exaggerations of cultural commentary that are simultaneously humorous and disturbing through a vibrant style that is a mélange of energetic pop and hyper realism. Realizing that Torimitsu’s exaggerations expose a cultural truth, viewers experience a discourse between the desire to laugh and a feeling of unsettlement that forces them to reevaluate their role in the acceptance of these social norms.
Momoyo Torimitsu’s exhibition addresses America’s consumption of products through two related parts. Scattered across the gallery floor are 80 resin small sculptures imitating melted chocolate Easter bunnies. Torimitsu’s bunnies serve as a commentary on the commodity fetishism born from the annual U.S. holiday industry. Like their hollow bodies, the bunnies are void of their mythic meaning and theological connotations. The purchase of chocolate Easter bunnies has become automatic; people are programmed to buy them since they’re “available for a limited time only,” causing the Easter bunnies to symbolize the country’s sacred ritual of consumerism. Given the current state of the economy, these bunnies embody the desperation that urges the purchaser to buy! Buy! BUY! in order to uphold the foundations of capitalism.
Joining the bunnies, Torimitsu’s Chihuahuas stare blankly at the gallery’s visitors. Hand-sculpted in clay, these sculptures reflect upon the recent celebrity fixation of keeping small dogs as accessories and status symbols. This trend has trickled down the social hierarchy to such a degree that grooming centers and dog hotels have sprouted across cities to cater to these pets. One Chihuahua sits on the chair, taking the place from the owner or the visitor. The Chihuahua’s vacant stare and the grotesque deformities of the bunnies confront the viewer, asking whether objectification actually limits the role of the buyer by enslaving him within a cycle of capitalism and object obsession.
Media
Schedule
from March 28, 2009 to May 16, 2009