Pretenders

Pretenders
2009
 

Text by Akira Wakui

Translation by Atsuko Misaki, Yuriko Taki et al.

 

Background
One day in the year 2001, I found a heap of machines

discarded in the mountains near my hometown in Nagano Prefecture.

After long years’ exposure to rain and winds,

the machines were falling into decay and oozing rust colored water.

It was as if humans were bleeding and sweating.

Though the machines were inorganic and immobile,

I sensed the extreme opposite―a feeling of life.

 

Strongly inspired by this experience,

I created a series of artwork entitled GARBAGE HEADS in 2001,

a total of 108 (the number of human’s worldly desires in Buddhism) figures.  

The theme was “Robots born from the trash of machines.”

 

In 2009, I again focused on “life” in machines.

This time, more concrete and simpler images were taking shape in my mind. 

Those images were quite simple. 

They were robots in human shape,

living an ordinary life like us humans.

 

In creating the new works,

I did not have any clear concept or message. 

Instead, I followed images and inspirations emerging in my mind. 

While working this way, I started talking with the robots.

 

“Who are you?” 

“Anything you want to say?”

 

But they remained silent,  

looking at me,

smiling but saying nothing.

 

Then, I heard a voice saying, 

 “Just enjoying the moment…”　

 

I wonder what I’ll be hearing in the future 

as I communicate with my artwork.

But I know for certain that  

through expressing myself in my work,

I will continue to focus on “humans,” “machines,” and “life.”