Born in Hiroshima, Japan, Tokyo-based artist Fuyuhiko Takata will be presenting his solo exhibition at this year’s Art Basel in Hong Kong. Titled “Cut Pieces”, the exhibition will features his latest works, The Butterfly Dream (2022) and Cut Suits (2023). Through the integration of video into installation art, Takata invites us into his fantastical inner world, where he uses humour to address various issues of the patriarchy in contemporary Japan and beyond. 

The Butterfly Dream draws inspiration from Yoko Ono’s work “Cut Piece” and a passage that comes from Zhuangzi, one of the foundational texts of Taoism that consists of short anecdotes and fables that paint a portrait of the ideal Taoist sage. Takata’s audiovisual work depicts a butterfly transformed into a pair of scissors, hacking away at the clothes of a young man who has fallen asleep — seemingly a depiction of breaking free from the shackles of masculinity. 

The artist further extends his exploration of masculinity into his second installation work in this exhibition, Cut Suits. As cheerful music plays in the background, a video of six business men show them scissoring away at each other’s suits, shirts, and ties. Void of violent undertones, the video is suggestive of a liberation from the representative image of Japanese corporate masculinity. In front of the screen lies a pile of discarded and fragmented clothing — a graveyard for the men’s transformation. 

How does it feel to be presenting your artwork Cut Pieces (2023) at Art Basel Hong Kong 2024?

It is my first time to properly exhibit in Asia outside of Japan, so I am very much looking forward to seeing how my work will be received. In particular, my presentation includes a work based on the famous Chinese discourse story, “The Butterfly Dream,” and I am interested to see how it will be perceived by the Chinese audience.

Apart from other literary works, how have your personal experiences influenced the creation of Cut Pieces (2023)?

I have been an unmanly character since childhood and have had a strong dislike for what is called “homosocial,” or a community where men cluster together. But at the same time, there is a kind of twisted longing for it. For this reason, the work “Cut Pieces” is a mixture of satirical intent and my fetish.

Your work uses humour to explore contemporary social and philosophical issues. What does humour mean to you?

I often portray people who do not always live up to their ideals, who are vulgar and honest about their desires in my work. I believe that all human beings have such aspects, and humour is a way of affirming this.