Hiroki Tsukuda | 199X

The title of the exhibition “199X,” is attributed to explorations of eschatology and apocalypticism, which served as frequent themes in films, comics, and novels that Tsukuda had encountered in his youth. The “post-apocalyptic world” depicted in films such as 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Mad Max (1979-1985), Blade Runner (1982), and Robo Cop (1987-1990), as well as in the manga series Fist of the North Star (1983-1988) had presented a great impact on Tsukuda’s vision of the future, becoming important sources of ideas and imagery that would later shape his artistic practice.

On this occasion, Tsukuda depicts a new world that assumes the destruction of civilization in the year 199X. In doing so, he attempts to compare and present a commanding view of the various issues and sense of stagnation that permeates contemporary society, such as the anxiety and despair of times when the world was divided into East and West and nuclear war was not a mere figment of one’s imagination; the explosive rise of various energies that counteractively emerged; memories of excitement at the end of the century and hopes for the new age to come; the dependency on virtual space in our current times due to the evolution of AI, SNS, and VR; and issues concerning radioactivity that are actually unfolding within his surroundings (Japan).

This exhibition features new works created through combining photographs and improvisational drawings, as well as an installation employing everyday items and found objects that the artist has continued to develop thus far. Tsukuda also engages with a new technique in which symbolic geometric patterns are rendered onto acrylic frames through silkscreen printing.