Polar Star
Artist's Project: Naotaka Hiro
Over the past two decades, Naotaka Hiro has grappled with the question of whether we can ever know the parts of our bodies that we are unable to see without the aid of a mirror or camera. Much of his work—which encompasses a range of media, including drawing, painting, sculpture, and video—stretches his body’s capabilities to their very limits in order to document and comprehend these unknowable spaces. Naotaka Hiro (b. 1972, Osaka, Japan) works in Pasadena, California. Hiro received his BA from University of California, Los Angeles, in 1997, and MFA from California Institute of the Arts, in 2000.
"1. Perhaps it’s a blessing for the acute self-examiner, but it seems more like a curse, that the anus is so far away from the face and eyes. Maybe god assembled the human body this way for just that reason, so you could never set eyes on your own anus.
“A Heart Cradled in the Theater of Ribs” 2. And because of where the anus is situated on the body, you can’t see it without the aid of a mirror, which of course is used whenever necessary, or a camera that could take a picture for posterity. The anus, which rhymes with famous, is a downward facing asterisk, and it is used regularly, thank you, god, thank you.
3. The crotch or groin, words that rhyme with botch and coin, are theaters of constant mirth. Balls that clank spiritually, not literally, are an essential part of the party; they are the chorus, they are the high notes and the low. Falsetto and baritone all in one. Such versatility is a marvel.
4. With no reflecting glass, imagine your own eyes, or try to. You don’t know where to begin, other than recollecting the last time you looked in the mirror while getting a haircut several months ago and the hapless face that glowered back at you like the hunted man in a police lineup: vacant, bleary, and watery mess. Unfortunate to be sure."— X–TRA Journal, Dec. 3, 2020
This post is an excerpt. Read the full article on the X–TRA Journal website.
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