In this video and performance, Takata wears a wig in the fashion of an ancient Japanese hairstyle and transforms himself into the character of Susano-o, a Shinto god who appears in the Japanese creation myth. The erection between his legs, is in the form of a Japan-shaped penis. The artist believed that the Japanese archipelago looked like male genitalia standing erect towards the Pacific Ocean. From this idea, he assembled his mythological image of creation and destruction.
In 2011, a year after the video was created, the Great East Japan Earthquake struck. Many things have changed since then, such as people’s outlook after the earthquake and the events following. For this reason, this video work is often connected to the disaster and the rising nationalistic sentiments of the time.
JAPAN ERECTION
2010年 single channel video with sound, 2min.8sec.
JAPAN ERECTION https://vimeo.com/433330545