Kenji Yanobe (ヤノベケンジ ''Yanobe Kenji'') is a Japanese contemporary artist known for his upbeat yet dystopian artwork. His sculpture simulates consumer products designed for survival after a

nuclear holocaust A nuclear holocaust, also known as a nuclear apocalypse, nuclear Armageddon, or atomic holocaust, is a theoretical scenario where the mass detonation of nuclear weapons causes globally widespread destruction and radioactive fallout. Such a scenar ...

. He is a professor at Kyoto University of Art and Design. He is also the director of Ultra Factory there. He was born in Ibaraki City, Osaka. After graduating from high school, he studied at Kyoto City University of Arts in 1989, majoring in sculpture. After studying at the Royal College of Art in England for a short time, he completed the Graduate School of Kyoto City University of Arts in 1991.

Artwork

Yanobe's sculptures closely fit a modern

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese consumer aesthetic. His pieces, often based on

robot A robot is a machine—especially one programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the control may be embedded within. Robots may be c ...

s, appear to be the products of the most modern industrial design: bright colors, polished metal, articulable joints, and shiny finish. However, they betray a fear of nuclear war. Yanobe's artwork includes brightly colored

hazmat suit A hazmat suit (hazardous materials suit) is a piece of personal protective equipment that consists of an impermeable whole-body garment worn as protection against hazardous materials. Such suits are often combined with self-contained breathing ...

s and tiny action figures with built-in

geiger counter A Geiger counter (also known as a Geiger–Müller counter) is an electronic instrument used for detecting and measuring ionizing radiation. It is widely used in applications such as radiation dosimetry, radiological protection, experimental ph ...

s. They pose the question: Would life after a nuclear war be possible, and if it were, would it be worth living? Yanobe has had art shows throughout the world, including the United States, Europe, and his native Japan. His artwork was displayed at the grounds of the

1970 World's Fair The or Expo 70 was a world's fair held in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, Japan between March 15 and September 13, 1970. Its theme was "Progress and Harmony for Mankind." In Japanese, Expo '70 is often referred to as . It was the first world's fair ...

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

, Japan. It was the last show there before the site was taken down in March 2004. In 2009, he won the

Osaka Culture Prize The is an annual award presented by the Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special ...

External links

Kenji Yanobe's official website
with Kenji Yanobe in ''Giant Robot'' magazine.
Biography ExhibitionCV
of Kenji Yanobe on Azito (online gallery of Japanese Contemporary art). Living people People from Ibaraki, Osaka Japanese sculptors Japanese contemporary artists Japanese pop artists Year of birth missing (living people) Artists from Osaka Prefecture {{japan-artist-stub