Simon Fujiwara - A Whole New World at MUDAM, Luxembourg

 

Since its creation a few years ago, Who the Bær’s universe — the Whoniverse — has rapidly expanded, moving from initial drawings to large-scale paintings, sculptures, installations, animations, a children’s book, and even a line of merchandise under the playful label Whotique. Bridging the worlds of conceptual art, consumer culture, craft, and pop imagery, Who the Bær acts as a mirror to contemporary anxieties around identity, image culture, and hyper-consumerism. Blending lightness, humor, and sharp critique, Fujiwara’s creation is both a conceptual artwork and a brand, a fairytale character and a social commentary — reflecting the contradictions, possibilities, and absurdities of the times we live in.

 

Who the Bær can also be followed via their official Instagram account @whothebaer.

‘Masks’ is a series of over 150 unique abstract paintings that together form a monumental, multi-part, mosaic portrait of the German leader Angela Merkel’s face. Measuring a total of 18 x 24 meters - as if zooming in over 1000 times into her actual face - the fragmented portrait is painted with the same make up used by the world’s most powerful woman on a daily basis. Produced in collaboration with Merkel’s personal make-up artist in Berlin, each portrait charts not only the colours and materials but also the application techniques of the chancellor’s face, creating a factual document of a historic figure that belies its abstract and expressive appearance. The ethereal images evoke a modern day ‘Turin Shroud’. Only decipherable as skin from a distance of some meters, the image disappears as the viewer approaches the canvas. ‘Masks’ is a visual translation of ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’ story, a parable of power held in the eye of the beholder. Since all world leaders including Mrs. Merkel wear HD make-up - make-up produced especially for high definition cameras - the works masks cannot be photographed as the material itself is designed to disappear - denying the camera its omnipotence in today’s media landscape - and leaving only our biological faculties of sight and smell to experience the works.