Yasumasa Morimura has been creating photographic self-portraits since 1985. However, his self-portraits are distinct from many other self-portraits of the past and present in that he does not reproduce himself as he is, but rather depicts himself as a person or sometimes an object of interest to him.

Sometimes they are great actresses of the silver screen, and sometimes they are great figures of the 20th century. Morimura’s unique self-portraits, in the form of figures and still lifes in famous paintings, have a mysterious allure, drawing the viewer’s attention to the various themes that are implicit in contemporary art concerning the artist, his works, and society.

The exhibition “Yasumasa Morimura: SELF-PORTRAIT AS HISTORY OF ART (EXTRACT)” will feature approximately 30 works from Morimura’s major “Art History Series,” including his pioneering portrait of Van Gogh.

In order to become a character in a famous painting, Morimura researches in detail the historical background and circumstances of the painting, the social status of the artist, and the feelings of the artist at the time of creation. However, the more one tries to become the person in the picture, the more one realizes the difference between oneself and the person in the picture. It is also a matter of confronting the question, “What is myself?” This is also a question that we must face ourselves.

In the endless question, “Who am I?” the artist repeatedly becomes a stranger and enters a fake masterpiece. A museum that exhibits and shows them. And the viewer…

The “Art History Series” is full of dangers that will also shake the institutions surrounding works of art from under their feet.