Reading aloud from a script in awkward, faltering English, the minister seems annoyed by his own ineptitude with foreign languages. For this fictional minister, globalism is at the root of many evils facing the world today, and his plea for a return to isolationism is meant as a tool for achieving world peace. The exhibition will also feature another new video work where Aida, made-up and styled to evoke the staid conservatism of the Japanese Prime Minister, makes an impassioned plea during a major international conference for each and every country around the world to revive the system of sakoku (a closing off, or severe limiting of foreign trade and diplomatic relations) that Japan embraced during the Edo period. Fusing a Rabelaisian love of bawdy humor and eschatological references with allusions to the otherworldly settings of Japanese science fiction, Aida’s “Comet-chan” mocks the supposed seriousness of science fiction, which has by now degenerated into cheap, sex-fueled, and sensationalist entertainment for the undiscriminating masses. According to Aida, the girl is an extraterrestrial being from outer space who had a sudden urge to relieve herself while passing over Earth, metamorphosing herself - somewhat ineptly - into a fluttery, doe-eyed human girl before chancing upon a copy of the Gutenberg Bible that she haplessly turns into toilet paper. The centerpiece for Aida’s inaugural exhibition with Galerie Perrotin is “Comet-chan” a new sculpture of a lithe, scantily-clad adolescent girl with a copy of the original fifteenth-century Gutenberg Bible in her left hand, and a page from that bible in her right hand, poised to wipe the remnants of a glowing pink turd protruding from her backside. It also represents a strong sense of determination to face disasters that Tokyo is likely to experience someday soon.Galerie Perrotin is pleased to present the first solo exhibition of Japanese artist Makoto Aida in Hong Kong, opening on November 26. The cardboard and blue tarp castle standing on the stone mound is a message of encouragement - “let’s get through this together” - from Tokyo to various regions in Japan that still suffer from the damages left by disasters. It was designed and constructed by architectural engineer Toshikata Sano, who led the barracks construction after the Great Kanto Earthquake and also promoted the use of reinforced concrete in primary school buildings.
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The stone mound on which this pavilion is installed was built during the construction of the Meiji Jingu outer gardens, using what once used to be the stone walls supporting the Edo Castle. It is also a criticism towards modern sculpture which only uses heavy, hard, expensive and long-lasting materials. By utilizing these two materials, this pavilion becomes a representation of human beings’ resilience. Aida has been using these materials for his works since 1995. They also share a similar characteristic, as they both symbolize temporariness instead of permanence. These are both reliable materials as they are durable even though they are cheap.
Makoto Aida (1965-) created two castles made out of cardboard and blue tarps.
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