Sitting on my desk is a lingerie figure that Ken Kagami created for the ‘Cream’ fifth anniversary. Most of the other exhibits became my private collection, except it being ‘released’. Enough said about my ‘affection’ for it.
Not many art pieces process the ability to make one burst with laughter, and Ken Kagami’s creation being one of them. ‘Toys look indecent and sexual to me’, his statement is so straight forward that requires no explanation. Placing toy, symbolic of innocence and purity, in a sexual and erotic setting, Kagami draws his audience’s attention to the conflict of the innocent and evil.
Ken Kagami is exhibiting at Taka Ishii Gallery (Tokyo) with a solo show titled ‘Toys “A” ss’, even its logo references the familiar toy mega store. Is it that he pollutes childhood memories, or is child-like innocence highly over-rated?
Text: Ron Lam | Translation: dilettante | Photo Courtesy: Taka Ishii Gallery | Update: 16 Jan 2009
