* The published information is based on interviews and the state at the time of the project’s implementation (except for certain parts).
Kenji Yanobe
Contemporary Artist
Contemporary artist born in 1965 in Osaka Prefecture. Debuted in 1990 with the experiential artwork Tanking Machine, where participants meditate inside an isolation tank. He creates mechanical sculptures incorporating the theme of "survival in contemporary society." He is acclaimed both domestically and internationally for his works, which convey social messages via humorous forms. Starting in 1997, he undertook the Atom Suit Project (~2003), visiting Chernobyl and the site of Expo '70 in Osaka while wearing a radiation-detecting suit called Atom Suit. With the dawn of the 21st century, he transitioned his creative theme to one of "revival." In 2003, he held a comprehensive solo exhibition titled Megalomania at the National Museum of Art, Osaka (Expo '70 Commemorative Park site).
Beginning in 2004, he initiated a series featuring his father's ventriloquist dummy character Torayan. From 2004 to 2005, coinciding with the opening of the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, he created the 7.2-meter-tall Giant Torayan as a residency project. In 2011, following the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, he created the monument of hope, Sun Child, and exhibited it on both domestic and international tours. One of the three sculptures will be permanently installed in Ibaraki City, Osaka. In 2017, he began work on the SHIP'S CAT series, guardians that bring good luck for journeys. Since 2021, SHIP'S CAT (Muse) has been permanently installed at the Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka. In 2024, he exhibited the large-scale installation BIG CAT BANG, which explores the journey of life, in the central atrium of GINZA SIX.
The origins of his creativity date back to his childhood, where he played in the dismantled site of the Osaka Expo '7 venue, which he came to call the "ruins of the future." He explores the origins and significance of art, creating works that interact with the environment.
WORKS
-
Tanking Machine 1990 Coll. 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa / Photo: Shin Kurosawa
-
Luna Project Last Amusement Park of the World 1998, Kirin Art Space Harajuku, Tokyo / Photo: Hideki Hiromoto
-
Atom Suit Project: Nursery School 4, Chernobyl 1997/2001 Coll. Kitakyushu Municipal Museum of Art, other / Photo: Russell Liebman
-
Viva Riva Project: Standa 2001 Coll. 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa / Photo: KENJI YANOBE Archive Project
-
Cinema in the Woods 2004 Coll. Toyota Municipal Museum of Art / Photo: Tomas Svab
-
[R] Giant Torayan 2005 Coll. Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka [L] Rocking Mammoth 2005 Coll. Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo / Photo: Seiji Toyonaga
-
ULTRA−Kuroi Taiyo (Black Sun) 2009 / Photo: KENJI YANOBE Archive Project
-
Sun Child No.1 2011 Coll. Fukushima City / Photo: Tomas Svab
SHIP’S CAT(Muse) 2021 Coll. Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka / Photo: KENJI YANOBE Archive Project
