— Art That Makes You Scream “AAH!!” — Dai Ah!!rt Exhibition
The “Dai Ah!!rt Exhibition” — a recurring art program produced by Fuji Television — was held at Seibu Shibuya. Its full title: “Art That Makes You Scream ‘AAH!!’ — Dai Ah!!rt Exhibition.” The project began several years ago; earlier editions were called “A-Ho!”
The show is produced by broadcast writer Mitsuru Kuramoto. It’s a delightful art project that gathers in one place a lineup of works so surprising, moving, and playful that you can’t help but shout “AAH!!” Drawing on the Osaka-dialect phrase “aho ya na~” (a term of affectionate praise meaning something like “you’re a wonderful idiot”), the exhibition “aho-tsukkomis” the works of up-and-coming creators — a filter that not only makes each artist’s originality land even harder, but also brings out the essence of the work itself.
“The Man Himself Appears!! Ah!!rt”
The tagline “The man himself appears!” makes perfect sense here — this corner featured artist Ichitaka Kamiji, with hyperreal sculptural works of astonishing virtuosity. Taking the National Treasure “Standing Statues of Mujaku and Seshin” from Kōfuku-ji as his motif, he showed pieces that felt like real human copies of the originals.
The longer you stare, the more you start to worry it really might move, and you find yourself instinctively leaning back. There’s a rawness to it, as if even body heat had transferred to the sculpture.
Next up were three-dimensional works based on the David statue, each with its eye color changed.
Each of the three seems to be catching something subtly different in its gaze — as if any moment they might start moving. Keeping one in your own living room would probably get pretty unsettling…
Wouldn’t you want him to make some transcendentally beautiful figures or handsome young men, so you could have them watch over you forever?
