The Hara Museum of Contemporary Art will be holding an exhibition of contemporary artist Yasumasa Morimura's work, "Morimura Yasumasa: Ego Obscura Tokyo 2020 − My Wandering Japanese Self," from January 25 to April 12, 2020.

From the video work "Ego Obscura," 2020 (reference photo) Photo: Kazuo Fukunaga ©Yasumasa Morimura
Morimura Yasumasa is known for his self-portraits in which he impersonates characters from famous paintings and films, or historical figures. Using skillful makeup and costume, Morimura transforms himself into various characters, transcending time, race, and gender, and through his work he adds his own unique interpretation to the original work and its context. Since making his stunning debut with "Portrait of Van Gogh" in 1985, Morimura has consistently tackled the question of "what it means to be myself." He has further expanded his range of expression to include video works in which he writes and performs his own scripts, as well as live performances.

In 2018, he held the exhibition "Yasumasa Morimura: Ego Obscura" at the Japan Society in New York. This triumphant return exhibition, featuring the video work "Ego Obscura," re-edited for Tokyo 2020, and a lecture performance by the artist himself using the footage, will explore modern and contemporary Japanese history and cultural history. "Portrait (Actress) / Marilyn in Komaba" 1995–2008 Yasuma Morimura In his video work "Ego Obscura," Morimura appears dressed as figures deeply etched in the Japanese memory, such as Emperor Showa and Douglas MacArthur, as well as Marilyn Monroe and Yukio Mishima. Born in Osaka in 1951, Morimura was educated in Japan at a time when prewar teachings were being rejected and the "emptiness" that had permeated the Japanese people was being filled with Western values. This personal experience eventually led him to the idea that "truth, values, and ideas... can be freely changed at will." (From the video work "Ego Obscura").

"Moderne Olympia 2018" 2018 ©Yasumasa Morimura

What was Morimura thinking as he transcended race and gender while delving into Western art history for 30 years? "Ego Obscura," in which he uses his own words to explain the background to the creation of his works and the thoughts embedded within them, garnered a great response in New York as well. Morimura uses the unfamiliar term "Ego Obscura," meaning "an ambiguous self shrouded in darkness," to express his complex feelings toward his motherland, which cannot be explained simply with affection, and through his self-portraits he tackles the question of what it means to be "a wandering Japanese person."

During the exhibition, the artist will be holding a lecture performance entitled "Ego Obscura Tokyo 2020 Version." The schedule is January 25th and 26th, February 22nd and 23rd, March 20th and 21st, and April 11th and 12th, all from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Advance registration is required; for details, please visit the website (https://www.haramuseum.or.jp/jp/hara/).

In 2020, 55 years after the Tokyo Olympics that marked Japan's post-war recovery, and the year in which the Olympics will be held in Tokyo again, Morimura Yasumasa asks us to consider what it means to be "I."