For artist Shin Koyama, it is healthy to think about death every day. For his "Ero Guro Kawaii: Shin Koyama in Arita" ceramics exhibition at La Lanta Gallery, he has drawn from the morbidity and mortality in Japanese history and culture, but deals with the subject in the form of ridicule. The works are vibrant and dark, tragic and comic, cynical and hopeful.
Ero Guro is a literary movement which originated in Japan in the 1920s, with _ as its name suggests _ roots in the erotic and the grotesque. This artistic movement is specific to its era, but the consciousness has long been ever-present in Japanese society, from Edo period erotic shunga woodblock prints to contemporary hentai manga and anime. The rest of the world seems to view Japan through the lens of kawaii-ness (cuteness), "through Kitty-chan", as Shin quipped, referring to Hello Kitty.
"Shin feels angry about everything in Japan being cute," explained Cory Taylor, Koyama's wife.
Pika-chan, the star of the exhibition, looks as if a monster had birthed a Kewpie doll. The cute monstrous creature was born out of the recent nuclear disaster in Fukushima, in the same way that Godzilla was woken from years of slumber under the sea after the nuclear bombings in Japan that ended WWII. Pika-chan's skin is milky, his or her expression sweet and innocent in the front, but the back, a turmoil manifested through paintings of ghoulish spirits, skeletons and sea monsters reveals otherwise. The subject is serious, the presentation cheeky. The monstrosity of daily struggles presents itself in the form of a kawaii character.
Koyama sees the binary relationship in things, in the highs and the lows, in heaven and in hell. "Here in Thailand, you see a lot of inequality side by side. People live in nice houses next to rundown shophouses. I find that very interesting. We were born with nothing and become nothing," he observes. "I'm interested in ambivalence."
He started his career illustrating book covers and children's books but had always been drawing in the empty spaces in textbooks since he was a child. He is inspired by ghosts and myths and history, by fantasy and by humanity. His prints look like a cross between manga and Roy Lichtenstein with the attentive lines of Hokusai, whom he admires.
Koyama turned to ceramics five years ago, because they "survive for thousands of years. I love the idea that in a hundred years or so, someone can go into an antiques shop and find my work there". One of his favourite stories is the tale of Urashima Taro who saved a turtle and was invited to a palace under the sea. He spends three days there and when he returns to the real world, 300 years have passed in normal life. "I think Shin feels like that because he's been in Australia for 30 years, so it's like being away from Japan for a hundred years," said Taylor.
Koyama has set up a studio in Jingdezhen, China's porcelain capital, and in Arita, Japan. This exhibition presents his works in collaboration with Densakugama Inc, a kiln run by Katsumaro Yokata. There are three groups of works in the gallery: the unique Shin Koyama collection, the Densakugama line of tableware and Shin's collaboration with the kiln to produce multiples.
Arita has a 400-year history of ceramics. Each of the countless kilns in Arita has its own secret recipe. Densaku has its own special mix that creates smooth and light products as well as a distinct glazing and high-temperature firing system.
"Not all the kilns are interested in working with artists; some are very traditional, or very old. The oldest is now in the 14th generation. Father to son, father to son. They are very proud, conservative places that are not very open," said Taylor. Koyama, she added, is the first artist to collaborate with a traditional kiln in Arita.
The Densakugama kiln has a technique called "Shining China", which combines high fire and unglazed porcelain, creating bright, colourful finished products that stand in contrast with the traditional white-and-blue porcelain of Arita. Working with the kiln on this process, Shin has created the "Ero Guro Kawaii" collection _ radiant skeleton goblets, inspired by traditional prints.
Among the collection are gold-and-silver goblets that look more like metal than ceramics.
"The idea came from Oda Nobunaga, the tyrant who tested the loyalty of his subordinates by making them drink from the skulls of their enemies dipped in gold," Koyama explained. "The shogun is mad obviously."
Koyama likes drinking from the goblet as a healthy reminder of death and dying. "Every culture has an obsession with death, but Japan more so than any other. 'Samurai, you must commit hara-kiri now, you must die now, you can't say no.' And then there are the kamikaze pilots."
Koyama's works are grounded in the weight of history and lifted by a dash of fantasy. Discussion of them leads to discussion of mortality. Koyama accepts transience as part of the human condition with a lightness of heart, and the outlook is reflected in his work, a tragic comedy or a comedic tragedy. "There's a beauty in things that disappear, like the cherry blossoms that die as soon as they flower," said Taylor.
"I'm approaching the end of my life and my work is like a message from the coffin," Koyama said, smiling. He maintains the appearance of a cheery sage. When he isn't pondering life or producing art, he is exploring the Japanese garden in his Arita home, waiting for the flowers to bloom, discovering creatures in the pond. His favourite painting is one of an old philosopher lying under a bamboo shade reading a book while drinking tea. "That is my idea of heaven."
'Ero Guro Kawaii: Shin Koyama In Arita' will be on display at La Lanta Fine Art until Dec 21. The gallery is open from Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-7pm. Visit www.lalanta.com or call 02-204-5083.
