Pieni maailma

In his art, Simon Fujiwara (b. 1982, Great Britain) focuses on how a minute is built. He draws influences from, among other things, history, art history, advertising and the visuals of theme parks. The form of Fujiwara’s works varies from performances to videos and from paintings to entire themed worlds. His art has also been influenced by his architectural studies. Often the works are spatial experiences where ethical and moral questions meet imagination and absurd humor. Fujiwara often uses his own personal history as a starting point for his works.

In the work Syphilis – A Conquest (2019–), the artist transforms his own syphilis illness and recovery into an adventure story. At the same time, he examines the connections of the disease to the history of art. Joanne (2016), on the other hand, is a video portrait of Fujiwara’s former teacher, who fell victim to a nudity scandal. In the piece, Joanne tries to save her public image with the help of communication consultants, fashion photographers and social media. The work ponders what “authentic me” could mean in a media-saturated reality.

From Fujiwara’s early works, four video works or performances are included. In them, the artist plays with different cultural structures and expectations that he has encountered as a homosexual British-Japanese artist. The works realized between 2008 and 2012 have never been presented together before.