Sako Kojima
Sako Kojima (1976) has used a variety of mediums including sculpture, performance, photography and drawing to explore the face of modern society. Whatever the media though, the common element running through all of her works is sensationalism.
Whether performing in the faux-fur costume of a rodent or painting small animals in sinister forests, Kojima creates a world brimming with the complex and cynical. Kojima’s works borders with sex fantasies, and at the same time hints irony and sadness of human existence. Her trademark rodents display strangely human attitudes and concerns.
Her sculptures and painting combines animals and cuteness with gender issues, sadism and masochism and sexuality. Seen from afar, the animals featured in Kojima’s work appear like cute creatures, but upon closer viewing, the glory details reveal a reality far more troublesome. This juxtaposition of cute and scary is referred to as kimo-kawaii in Japanese; a sensibility that appeals to a younger generation of Japanese artists.