27/07/2026
ARTIST INTERVIEW|Takahiro Komuro
“My work is deeply rooted in the aesthetics of Japanese and American toy culture—particularly the distinctive sculptural language of soft-vinyl figures. The awe once evoked by the transcendent beings of ancient myth now lies hidden within the figures and characters of today’s consumer culture, having taken on new forms. I see in these the potential for new objects of worship. By combining contemporary woodcarving with the language of mass-produced objects,I explore the boundary between the sacred and the secular.
For this exhibition, I present sculptures based on my own interpretations of Western mythology. At the entrance, I have installed a temporary gateway,flanked by life-sized wooden sculptures and large numbers of soft vinyl figures arranged in symmetrical pairs.
This installation alludes to the guardians at ancient temple gates and the formal traditions of sacred sculpture.
My practice is grounded in what I call a “dual loss of faith”:One is the collapse of a nation’s collective belief system brought about by Japan’s defeat in 1945,and the other is my family’s abandonment of the religion we once practiced.These two ruptures left emptiness where worship used to be, and gave rise to a worldview founded in that absence.
From the perspective of societies with deeply rooted faith, such as those in Europe, North America, and the Middle East, what I do may seem difficult to understand. And, even knowing there is nothing left for the sacred to dwell within, I cannot help but continue carving these figures, searching for a place where it might yet reside. For me, sculpture is the continuing act of calling into being a constructed sacredness to fill the void created by this absence.It is an act akin to a prayer.”
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ARTIST INTERVIEW | コムロタカヒロ
「私の作品は、日本やアメリカの玩具文化、特にソフトビニールフィギュア特有の造形美学に深く根ざしています。 かつて古代の神話が担っていた『超越的存在への畏怖』は、現代社会ではフィギュアやキャラクターという消費物の中に形を変えて潜在しています。私はそれらの中に『新しい偶像』の可能性を見出し、現代的な木彫技法と大量生産品のフォーマットを交錯させることで、聖性と俗性の境界を問い直しています。
今回の展示では、西洋神話に登場するモチーフを独自に解釈した彫刻を扱っています。入り口には、仮設的な門を設置し、等身大の木彫と大量のソフビ像を左右対称に配置しました。 この展示構成は、古代神殿の門番や神像彫刻の形式を暗示しています。
私の制作には『二重の信仰の喪失』という明確な立脚点があります。一つは、1945年の敗戦による国家的信仰の崩壊。そしてもう一つは、私自身の家庭において信仰されていた宗教の放棄です。この二つの断絶は、私にとっての『祀るべき中心』の空洞化と、その欠落を前提とした世界観を形作りました。
欧米や中東のような強固な信仰を持つ社会から見れば、私の行為は不可解に映るかもしれません。しかし、宿すべき対象がないと知りながら、それでも像を彫り、依代を求めずにはいられない。私にとって彫刻とは、この不在という空洞の中心に、捏造した聖性を像として立ちあげ抗い続ける、祈りにも似た行為なのです。」
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Title:
Ethnography of the Body and Material — Slowness and Depth in an Accelerated Society
Dates&Hours:
May 9–November 22, 2026 (Closed Tuesdays)
May 9–September 30: 11:00 AM–7:00 PM
October 1–November 22: 10:00 AM–6:00 PM
Venue:
Palazzo Pisani Santa Marina (Cannaregio 6104, 30121 Venice)
Curator:
Yuji Akimoto, Artistic Director of Go for Kogei
Participating Artists:
Shige Fujishiro; Kazuhito Kawai; Takahiro Komuro; Takuro Kuwata; Ritsue Mishima; Yoca Muta; Mayu Nakata; Junko Oki; Noritaka Tatehana; Yui Wata
Organised by
NPO Syuto Kanazawa
Supported by
Japan Creator Support Fund
Specially Sponsored by
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc., MIRAI TRUST Inc.
Sponsored by
Kawamura Arts and Cultural Foundation, JAKUETS, Sentio Inc., Etsuko HAYASHI, Pasand co.,ltd
In Cooperation with
TOYOTA CONIQ, Inc., Yuki Yokoe
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