Two great artists opened the "2G" exhibition.

Daniel Arsham × Hajime Sorayama Interview

Shibuya PARCO, a one-of-a-kind next-generation commercial facility housing 193 tenants spanning fashion, art, culture, and food, is drawing crowds daily. Among its attractions, the studio "2G" is particularly noteworthy, bringing together top figures from three genres: the "gallery" by NANZUKA, the "select shop" by Poggy (Motofumi Kogi) and Daytona International, and the "art toy" space by MEDICOM TOY, known for its many creations, including the BE@RBRICK. We spoke with Daniel Arsham and Hajime Sorayama, who attended the opening exhibition of this space, <Arsham × Sorayama>.

Photographs by ISHII Fumihito | Text by SHINNO Kunihiko | Edit By KAWASE Takuro

—Do you often visit the Shibuya, Koen-dori area, Daniel?

Daniel: Whenever I come to Shibuya, I always go to Tokyu Hands. With the new Shibuya PARCO, I think I'll be coming to this area even more often.

—Hajime, do you have any memories of Shibuya PARCO before the renovation?

Sorayama: Yes, many. It was a dating spot, you know.

—Currently, the first exhibition at "2G" is the collaborative show <Arsham x Sorayama>. How did you two meet?

Sorayama: We met for the first time three years ago when I visited his first solo exhibition in Japan at NANZUKA ("My First Show in Japan, Year 2044," 2016). It seems he had seen a lot of my work even before that.

Daniel: About 10 years ago, when I visited KAWS's studio, Hajime's work was displayed there.

Sorayama: This is Daniel's first collaboration with another artist.

Daniel: Yes. But the moment I saw Hajime's painting, I understood the concept, and I was confident that we could create a great sculpture.

—Hajime, what did you think of Daniel's work?

Sorayama: Even without reading the titles, I immediately understood what he wanted to convey. That's why I agreed to the collaboration. So much of today's contemporary art requires explanation, doesn't it? I believe that no matter how much you pay for such works, they will all disappear in 100 years.

—Could you tell us about the sculpture and painting of two intertwined hands that are the main focus of this exhibition?

Daniel: This is based on a piece I was working on. When you visit prestigious European museums like the Louvre or the British Museum, you see many ancient Greek and Roman sculptures excavated from underwater or ruins. Some are missing arms, some only have heads... I thought it would be wonderful to have a sculpture of a handshake that transcends time and space, so I created a sculpture based on my own hand and my wife's. Seeing that, Hajime depicted it with one arm replaced by a robot. That painting led to this collaboration.

Sorayama: I drew it in two dimensions, but his work is very matte, so by having it shake hands with a metallic hand, we can create a contrast, right? It creates a contrast with the inorganic elements, so I thought he would be a very good partner. You can see it if you look.

—The name "2G" was given by Masafumi Nanuka (owner of NANZUKA) in respect to Tsūji Masuda, the founding president of Shibuya PARCO. It also seems to be interpretable as "2 Great artists" to adorn the gallery's debut.

Sorayama: Oh, come on! You're good at flattery (laughs).

Daniel: Thank you.

—The interior design of "2G" was handled by Snarkitecture, led by Daniel.

Daniel: For other projects, I often don't know the clients personally, but this time, since we are exhibiting collaborative works with Hajime, and I've been friends with Poggy for 10 years, and I'm very familiar with MEDICOM TOY's products, I had no concerns from the beginning. I feel this is one of Snarkitecture's projects that is very close to my own sensibilities.

Sorayama: As soon as you enter the entrance, the color scheme is unified in gray and silver, and when you go to the gallery in the back, our two works are displayed. I felt that the people who worked on it really knew how to present things.

—The <Arsham x Sorayama> wear you are both wearing today was also directed by Poggy, and Hajime, who has released numerous BE@RBRICKs, has a long-standing relationship with MEDICOM TOY.

Sorayama: It's been since MEDICOM TOY was founded. They made the first AIBO figure (a four-legged entertainment robot released by Sony in 1999; Sorayama was involved in the concept design for the first generation "ERS-110" to "ERS-210"). Sony staff recommended them, saying, "There's a great company called MEDICOM TOY, so if you're going to make figures, definitely go with them." That was around 2000, so we've known each other for 20 years now.

—Daniel, how did you learn about MEDICOM TOY?

Daniel: I knew them through KAWS's products, and when I first came to Japan, I visited the MEDICOM TOY office and was introduced to the staff. This is my first time creating a BE@RBRICK as an individual, with "BE@RBRICK SORAYAMA × Daniel Arsham." As everyone knows the modeling of BE@RBRICK, the staff at MEDICOM TOY mentioned that there had never been one split in half like this before, and I think it turned out to be a very good first BE@RBRICK.

—We heard that the production was very difficult, with different techniques used for Hajime's chrome-plated part and Daniel's water-printed part. And it's said that Daniel's idea was to split it into two curved halves.

Daniel: They initially suggested a straight split, but I said that wouldn't work and asked them to express it with curves.

Sorayama: MEDICOM TOY didn't consult me about it at all. If they had told me, I would have made even more demands (laughs). For example, I might have said it would be more interesting if the chrome part protruded and had a step.

—The collaborative exhibition <Arsham x Sorayama> will be held until January 8, 2020. We hope many people will visit. Finally, could you tell us what you expect from the new Shibuya PARCO?

Sorayama: Just as Takeshita Street in Harajuku once broadcast Japanese culture to the world, I hope that what is transmitted from PARCO will be recognized by people around the world. Not imports, but exports.

Daniel: Japan has a very high quality of craftsmanship, as exemplified by its fashion industry, and continues to transmit things that cannot be found anywhere else. I expect that such things will continue to be created. I myself am planning collaborations in Japan, and I have a big project coming up in April next year, so please look forward to it.

Daniel Arsham / Hajime Sorayama
Arsham x Sorayama

November 22, 2019 - January 8, 2020
15-1 Udagawa-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Shibuya PARCO 2F "2G"

Hajime Sorayama

Born in Ehime Prefecture in 1947. Lives in Tokyo. An artist who pursues the beauty of the human body and machines with astonishing realism. His works include the "Sexy Robot" series (1978-), which brought him fame, the concept design for "AIBO" (1999), and the album cover for the world-renowned rock band Aerosmith's "Just Push Play" (2001). His collaboration with DIOR HOMME, led by Kim Jones, in 2018 also generated significant buzz.

Daniel Arsham

Born in Ohio, USA, in 1980, this artist is currently based in New York. He presents a wide range of works, including sculptures, paintings, installations, and video art, based on the concept of "Fictional Archeology." His work has been exhibited in museums and international exhibitions worldwide. In June 2019, he was chosen as a collaborator for the DIOR HOMME Spring/Summer 2020 collection, following Hajime Sorayama.