Intersection Of Traditions
Gaku Azuma (東 學) is a multifaceted artist who has been exploring the intersection of Japanese artistic traditions and contemporary eroticism, establishing himself as a significant figure in both traditional and modern art scenes. Born in 1963 in Kyoto, Azuma was heavily influenced by his father, Shoso Azuma (東笙蒼), an ōgi-e (扇絵) artist who used folding fan surfaces as canvases for artwork. From a young age, Azuma followed in his family’s footsteps, starting to paint and honing his artistic skills over the years. At 14, he moved to the United States for three years. During that time, he painted a piece titled The French Doll, which is now permanently housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. By the age of 20, he had made a name for himself as a graphic designer and art director, contributing to theatrical, television, and musical projects. In 1997, his artistic work was recognized by playwright Yukichi Matsumoto, leading to his appointment as the promotional artist for the Ishinha movement. He received the Good Design Award and the Special Award sponsored by the Japan Industrial Design Promotion Foundation for directing the high-definition program Portrait by Mainichi Broadcasting. Over time, his art, initially grounded in traditional painting, evolved into a bolder approach where he sought to explore feminine forms erotically and sensorially, culminating in a series of works that transcend the canvas to embrace the human body.
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The Human Skin
Gaku Azuma’s transition from traditional painting to body art around 2012 was not merely a technical shift but also a deepening of his exploration of sensuality and eroticism. The experience of painting on human skin fascinated Azuma to the point of obsession. For him, the human body became a new canvas—a living surface capable of expressing the same tensions and contradictions present in his earlier works but in a more intimate and direct manner. Body painting (肌絵`hada-e') thus became a natural extension of his aesthetic approach, where the female body could be perceived simultaneously as an object of desire and a reflection of a more complex sensuality..
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Kimono And Flowers
Before his body paintings, Gaku Azuma became known for his series of boku-ga (ink paintings on paper), celebrated for their erotic depictions of women. One example of this approach is the Oiran series, in which Azuma applied patterns to the kimonos adorning the female forms in his paintings, achieving lifelike representations of flowers. This method was a way for him to surpass the influence of his father, Shoso Azuma, a master of floral painting:
"He only draws flowers, and I only draw women. I was better than him at drawing women, but there was no way I could become better than he was at drawing flowers. I had long searched for an avenue by which to surpass my father. But one day, I came to realize that flowers are little more than a reproductive organ. I began to think that what he draws is essentially the same as what I draw. This thinking liberated me from the spell of my father, and I have been able to draw flowers since coming to such a realization."
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The More Hidden, The More Sensual
Gaku Azuma began painting women in partially covered kimonos, revealing only fragments of their bodies. This style emerged during his time in New York, where public depictions of nude women were restricted. Confronted with this limitation, he chose to conceal the female form as much as possible in his works, loosening kimonos off shoulders, for example, to expose just enough to captivate the observer.
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