Shota Katsube's kicking action figures are made out of shiny but otherwise ordinary twist ties. They're currently on display at the Wellcome Center in London:
The word “souzou” has no linguistic equivalent in English, although in Japanese it refers to concepts of both creation and imagination. For these artists, the primary and dominant mode of expression is through the visual rather than the verbal or written. As such, there is an emotional intensity and delightful conceptual inventiveness to their works as they communicate their thoughts on culture and memory in deeply personal ways. From the grotesquely riveting pointillism of Marie Suzuki’s portraits, to Shota Katsube’s meticulously constructed army of action figures made from wire, to Norimitsu Kokubo’s astounding cartographies of teeming urban spaces, Souzou presents an endearing collective account of the peculiar world we live in through pure and fresh eyes.
(Photo: Outside In)