659 Wrightwood Museum―Ishida: Self-Portrait of Other

Part Two of my visit to 569 Wrightwood Museum was :Ishida: Self-Portrait of Other.

Often, his work disembodies the figure and blends it with machinery or objects. These images observe the monotony of a Japanese salary man’s routine, as in images like men being packed into a subway car like cargo. Another main theme is the training of young people to enter into economical servitude, and thus emotional isolation. Generally speaking, even non-Japanese viewers of Ishida’s works can appreciate the feeling of being forced to conform to work culture. From a highly personal perspective, his work captures its dehumanizing aspects, one that is rarely explored creatively in Japan and keeps his art compelling for new audiences.

For more of his amazing work go to: http://www.artnet.com/artists/tetsuya-ishida/

See the museum's fall guide here: https://wrightwood659.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/WW659_IshidaAndo_Guide_2019Fall_online.pdf

The photograph below created itself for me, speaks of Ishida's emotional isolation (althought I cannot speak for the young man,) and I couln't resist taking it.