November 19 - December 17, 2005
Opening reception Saturday, November 19, 6-8pm
"The work reflects an innocent sex… not something grotesque".
Ken Kagami
gallery. sora. is pleased to announce our inaugural exhibition - Ken Kagami's Penis.
Artist Ken Kagami lives and works in Tokyo. Kagami's background is in fashion – he studied at Bunka Fashion college and subsequently earned a living as a stylist. Design, as well as an interest in the American abject; i.e. the work of Paul McCarthy and Mike Kelley, serves as a foundation for the artist's practice. In Penis, Kagami coordinates found objects such as toys and children’s clothing to create unsettling works which may be described as a combination of "spooky" and "cute"
In 2003 Taka Ishii Gallery, Tokyo, exhibited Kagami's "MILKMAN" drawings and sculptures in its viewing room space; the works in conversation with an exhibition of paintings by American artist Erik Parker on view in the gallery primary exhibition space. The artist's character, "MILKMAN", an androgynous figure with bloody fruit appendages, also served as inspiration for a concept album released in 2004 by San Francisco based independent-rock band Deerhoof.
Ken Kagami has participated in international group exhibitions including Baby Shower, Galleri Nicolai Wallner, Copenhagen (2004) and Hide and Seek, Hong Kong (2005). A solo exhibition with Krinzinger Projekte, Vienna, is scheduled to take place in 2006.