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YASUMASA MORIMURA PORTRAITS AT NYC’S LUHRING AUGUSTINE, 1 CUT

AVV/GS SET 11/19 #720750

NEW YORK CITY — Luhring Augustine presents new self portraits by the Japanese artist Yasumasa Morimura in the exhibition, “Requiem for the XX Century: Twilight of the Turbulent Gods,” on view through December 23.

The exhibition examines an array of historical figures and political events that have been significant in shaping the Twentieth Century. Employing his usual methodology, Morimura uses costumes, makeup and props to create unconventional and bold renderings of iconic images from history.

While Morimura’s work has traditionally investigated femininity through iconic depictions of women from art history and popular culture, this body of work examines widely disseminated images of prominent masculine figures from the last century. Each protagonist or event is cast in a moment of apogee, when history is being made and visually captured.

Substituting himself for ideologues, dictators or brilliant minds such as Einstein, Lenin, Che, Mao or Trotsky, Morimura reflects on his personal encounter of these images during his lifetime as well notions of masculinity embedded in politics and war. By recontextualizing portraits and events into present day, Morimura offers a fresh look at these prominent men who, moved by wisdom, hate, ideology or idealism have carved a space in society’s collective psyche.

In the first work of the series, a video, A Requiem: Mishima, 2007, Morimura reenacts Yukio Mishima’s nationalistic speech from 1970 that was given to a group of young soldiers with the intention to inspire a coup d’etat. Morimura’s speech is inspired by the original but is addressed to young Japanese artists. He implores them to “rise up” and “listen” as they are in danger of becoming “eternal slaves of foreign culture” and “spiritually bankrupt.”

Born in post-World War II Japan, Morimura struggled with the dominant influence of the West in Japanese culture, a theme explored throughout his oeuvre.

Luhring Augustine is at 531 West 24th Street. For information, 212-206-9100 or www.luhringaugustine.com.