After Hong Kong and Seoul, Pejac recently had the final stop of his Asian tour in Tokyo. During couple of days in Japan's capital, Spanish artist created various works that are all focused on local tradition and culture.
Mostly showing appreciation to the culture and people, Pejac had to address the touchy issue of fishing and especially shark fishing Japan. His installation "Fin Soup" is showing a line of shark fins emerging from the bustling walk path in Shibuya, with obvious human bites visible on each fin. From the photos we just received it is obvious that the reaction to this striking piece was varying from enjoyment to disgust, which is always good with engaged public art.
The rest of the works are classic Pejac pieces showing human silhouettes in interaction with their surrounding and creating a surrealist illusion. "Everybody Is An Artist" is showing a cleaning lady pouring out the bucket, and creating the recognizable Great Wave by Hokusai. Painted in Shiboku Honcho, Kawasaki, the piece is borrowing the name from Joseph Beuys, and is a tribute to all working women of the world and the wonders they do daily. "Guliver" is another intervention showing a little boy watering a bonsai tree with flock of miniature birds flying from it. Using the tradition as an essential part to create the illusion, Pejac placed this serene work on the side of the railroad in Chiba, near Tokyo. As the final piece he painted an outdoor version of his famous "Seppukku" image showing a samurai performing a ritual suicide with a cherry blossom branch in a back alley of Shibuya. While paying respect to the Japanese people and their culture, the work can be seen as symbolic death of traditional Japan as we know it under the pressure of modernization.
Check out all the works after the jump and feel free to leave your comment about these exquisite public works.
