[AIR3331] Zoryu “OKAMA” Openstudio

Artist: Zoryu (South Korea)

The main event - portraits(15 x 15 cm sized each) of 28 people are going to be seen as "Okama"s, regarding the title of the exhibition.

"Okama" is known as a Japanese colloquial term referring to men who adopt feminine identities and mannerisms. This leads the audience not only to the enter to the exploration of facial depiction, but also into the first trap. They would think that these faces are "originally" men, but they are in fact, feminine as well.

The audience is expected to read these faces whether they are feminine or masculine - by the lens of dichotomous stereotypes they have been forced to obtain while growing up. The audience might struggle to define their genders into two. As they appear realistic, and look like real existing people somewhere, the more the audience spends time gazing, the more confused they may become.

Other sculptures will serve as the visualizations pointing out these people's stereotypical gender defining process.
These sculptures will be composed of readymade objects found in everyday life.


[What is AIR 3331?]
AIR 3331 Open Call welcomes creatives from diverse backgrounds to research, produce and exhibit at 3331 Arts Chiyoda―injecting an international perspective right into the heart of Tokyo's art scene. For application information, please visit: https://residence.3331.jp/