.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
SEMANA SANTA / VENUS SECURITY CHECK
Masami Teraoka’s artworks are visually and intellectually provocative masterpieces filled with a variety of cultural inspirations and current affairs. As a resident of Hawaii and with his upbringing in Japan, Teraoka incorporates inspirations from all aspects of the world, opening a dialogue between himself, current events and viewers in an exciting way.
In the 2004 Semana Santa / Venus Security Check (Lot 24), Teraoka subverts the traditional religious altarpiece format by displaying controversial subject matters, saturated with sexual imagery that conjures up social and political remarks on current affairs. His rich surface texture of oil paint with medieval-style gold background is reminiscent of Robert Campin’s humanised religious scenes (Fig. 1). Comparable with the figurative depiction in Campin’s The Seilern Triptych , which maintains a sculptural solidity, Teraoka’s figurative style has a sheer luminosity, rendering his depiction softer and more voluptuous and giving it an air reminiscent of Japanese anime. On the outside of the altarpiece, bright red Japanese scripture adorns the panels, framing the stimulating scene within. The semi-chaotic arrangement of gothic and green tinted figures layered over the rich cityscapes is visually overwhelming, and reveals the complexity of the scene of airport security and subsequent allegations of racism depicted in the main frames of Venus Security Check. In the upper part of Semana Santa (Holy Week), the processions and robed attire of the figures depicted are influenced by the traditional garb of the Ku Klux Klan. This combined imagery reveals Teraoka’s accurate and astute link of these two fanaticisms.
In the main frames of Venus Security Check, which are set over the river Thames, Tower Bridge, the London Eye, the Tate Modern and St. Paul's Cathedral, London is depicted as a dark and ominous place. Small red phone booths crowded with church members and naked people stand in the fields like small headstones, waiting perhaps for the resurrection of Christ. In the centre, the almost life-sized Venus has been stripped down into an almost nude state, leaving only the accessories of erotic bondage-like cuff and neckpiece together with loosened corset and a stocking on one leg. Unlike the Botticelli’s Venus, who represents beauty and love, Teraoka’s Venus is mortified and wounded.
With streaks of blood oozing out from her bare flesh, she looks distraught rather than poised, exhibiting apparent anguish at her involuntary indecency, with her regal velvet cape exposing her breast over her corset. In the surrounding airport security terminal, chaos ensues as officers appear baffled and unsure of their assignment, and even oblivious to the woman strapped to a string of explosives. The scene depicted is an extreme interpretation of the security checks in international airports, and is perhaps a psychosomatic metaphor that reflects the immense emotional humiliation experienced during such checks.
The idea of religious tolerance and controversy is further elaborated on in Semana Santa (Holy Week), through Teraoka’s depiction of entangled men of Catholic church and women engaging in sexual acts, watched closely by caped religious figures carrying batons. These hooded figures mingle in the Spanish landscape and are a reference to Spain’s more traditional celebrations of Holy Week. Here the duality over righteousness is divided between the top and bottom panels. On the bottom we find references to events leading to the intolerance of Muslim believers, and on the top a group of religious extremists, an allusion to the corrupted behaviour in Roman Catholic Church. Teraoka theatrically critiques this social and political debate embedded in religious beliefs and prejudice by exaggerating the sexual gestures and bleeding skin of the figures in a surreal manner. His narrative style resonates deeply with Japanese tradition of the Edo period ukiyo-e style (Fig. 2), such as Tsukioka Yoshitoshi’s Twenty-Eight Famous Murders with Verse , which exemplify exaggerated figurative composition and surreal narration, utilising calligraphy scriptures to aid the narration of the tale portrayed. Teraoka cunningly integrates this traditional visual language with western oil medium to deploy his works as a social documentation and protest to expose the follies, weaknesses and wrongs of society.
Teraoka’s oil painting mimics the often theatrical, erotic yet humorous ukiyo-e in its critique of social, political and religious phenomenon. His unprecedented technical rendition is visible throughout his oeuvre, helping him craft the wondrous and intellectually probing images adorned with references to international headlining events. Teraoka’s paintings are extraordinary in their ability to captivate audiences across the world, tackling global and timeless social issues with lightheartedness and objectivity. His collection of works are in many international private collections, as well as being featured in exhibitions at influential institutions such as the Tate Modern, London, England; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA; Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow, Scotland; Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, USA; Fine Art Museum, San Francisco, USA and the Singapore Art Museum, Singapore, a testament to his profound aesthetic impact on the global art world.
inscribed in Japanese (on the exterior)
translation of artist inscription:
Triptych top external panels:
"After I did the research on Tuscany and Toledo (What I meant is we went to see Spanish Inquisition's head quarter in Toledo.), (I felt) it's time for Roman Catholic Church to investigate (Catholic) priests’ sexual abuse issue.”
Triptych bottom external panels:
“Semana Santa Venus Security Check, completion January 8, 2004. London as its backdrop, I painted the vision as it had evolved.”
Masami Teraoka’s artworks are visually and intellectually provocative masterpieces filled with a variety of cultural inspirations and current affairs. As a resident of Hawaii and with his upbringing in Japan, Teraoka incorporates inspirations from all aspects of the world, opening a dialogue between himself, current events and viewers in an exciting way.
In the 2004 Semana Santa / Venus Security Check (Lot 24), Teraoka subverts the traditional religious altarpiece format by displaying controversial subject matters, saturated with sexual imagery that conjures up social and political remarks on current affairs. His rich surface texture of oil paint with medieval-style gold background is reminiscent of Robert Campin’s humanised religious scenes (Fig. 1). Comparable with the figurative depiction in Campin’s The Seilern Triptych , which maintains a sculptural solidity, Teraoka’s figurative style has a sheer luminosity, rendering his depiction softer and more voluptuous and giving it an air reminiscent of Japanese anime. On the outside of the altarpiece, bright red Japanese scripture adorns the panels, framing the stimulating scene within. The semi-chaotic arrangement of gothic and green tinted figures layered over the rich cityscapes is visually overwhelming, and reveals the complexity of the scene of airport security and subsequent allegations of racism depicted in the main frames of Venus Security Check. In the upper part of Semana Santa (Holy Week), the processions and robed attire of the figures depicted are influenced by the traditional garb of the Ku Klux Klan. This combined imagery reveals Teraoka’s accurate and astute link of these two fanaticisms.
In the main frames of Venus Security Check, which are set over the river Thames, Tower Bridge, the London Eye, the Tate Modern and St. Paul's Cathedral, London is depicted as a dark and ominous place. Small red phone booths crowded with church members and naked people stand in the fields like small headstones, waiting perhaps for the resurrection of Christ. In the centre, the almost life-sized Venus has been stripped down into an almost nude state, leaving only the accessories of erotic bondage-like cuff and neckpiece together with loosened corset and a stocking on one leg. Unlike the Botticelli’s Venus, who represents beauty and love, Teraoka’s Venus is mortified and wounded.
With streaks of blood oozing out from her bare flesh, she looks distraught rather than poised, exhibiting apparent anguish at her involuntary indecency, with her regal velvet cape exposing her breast over her corset. In the surrounding airport security terminal, chaos ensues as officers appear baffled and unsure of their assignment, and even oblivious to the woman strapped to a string of explosives. The scene depicted is an extreme interpretation of the security checks in international airports, and is perhaps a psychosomatic metaphor that reflects the immense emotional humiliation experienced during such checks.
The idea of religious tolerance and controversy is further elaborated on in Semana Santa (Holy Week), through Teraoka’s depiction of entangled men of Catholic church and women engaging in sexual acts, watched closely by caped religious figures carrying batons. These hooded figures mingle in the Spanish landscape and are a reference to Spain’s more traditional celebrations of Holy Week. Here the duality over righteousness is divided between the top and bottom panels. On the bottom we find references to events leading to the intolerance of Muslim believers, and on the top a group of religious extremists, an allusion to the corrupted behaviour in Roman Catholic Church. Teraoka theatrically critiques this social and political debate embedded in religious beliefs and prejudice by exaggerating the sexual gestures and bleeding skin of the figures in a surreal manner. His narrative style resonates deeply with Japanese tradition of the Edo period ukiyo-e style (Fig. 2), such as Tsukioka Yoshitoshi’s Twenty-Eight Famous Murders with Verse , which exemplify exaggerated figurative composition and surreal narration, utilising calligraphy scriptures to aid the narration of the tale portrayed. Teraoka cunningly integrates this traditional visual language with western oil medium to deploy his works as a social documentation and protest to expose the follies, weaknesses and wrongs of society.
Teraoka’s oil painting mimics the often theatrical, erotic yet humorous ukiyo-e in its critique of social, political and religious phenomenon. His unprecedented technical rendition is visible throughout his oeuvre, helping him craft the wondrous and intellectually probing images adorned with references to international headlining events. Teraoka’s paintings are extraordinary in their ability to captivate audiences across the world, tackling global and timeless social issues with lightheartedness and objectivity. His collection of works are in many international private collections, as well as being featured in exhibitions at influential institutions such as the Tate Modern, London, England; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA; Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow, Scotland; Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, USA; Fine Art Museum, San Francisco, USA and the Singapore Art Museum, Singapore, a testament to his profound aesthetic impact on the global art world.
inscribed in Japanese (on the exterior)
translation of artist inscription:
Triptych top external panels:
"After I did the research on Tuscany and Toledo (What I meant is we went to see Spanish Inquisition's head quarter in Toledo.), (I felt) it's time for Roman Catholic Church to investigate (Catholic) priests’ sexual abuse issue.”
Triptych bottom external panels:
“Semana Santa Venus Security Check, completion January 8, 2004. London as its backdrop, I painted the vision as it had evolved.”