Kenji Yanobe’s plastic, metal and steel sculptures embody the same industrial-futuristic aesthetic that sends Japanese consumers (and quite frankly, the rest of us) into a spending frenzy. Yet Kenji’s mission is much darker than the likes of Bearbrick or Mr TTT: all of the artist’s creations are built from a nuclear holocaust. Not however, the one that affected Japan 20 years before his birth, but one that continues to radiate from television screens all over the country.
Much of Kenji’s work is made with reference to the otaku generation; kids whose worlds are saturated in comics, television and robotics. Such mediums are of course entertainment, but their stories are frequently concerned with the darker side of human existence; one that denies its humanity in favour of power. In such media, the machine straddles both sides of the divide, as both a human ally and destructor.
Growing up with this kind of stimulus, Kenji’s 3D works are at once cute and chilling. For his current exhibition at bld gallery in Tokyo, Kenji has created an installation of Mini Toyarans, based on his iconic Giant Toyaran sculpture. Part man, part child and dressed in a nuclear suit, Toyaran is modelled on a ventriloquist’s dummy used by Kenji’s father. Running until August 9, the exhibition features a legion of Mini Toyaran. This small army might stand at 10% of the size of their predecessor, but they are 100% as fascinating (and frightening!).
