Simon Fujiwara: A Whole New World

The work of British Japanese artist Simon Fujiwara (b. 1982, London) invites us to confront the contemporary world in all its beauty and complexity, its absurdities and contradictions. The artist holds a mirror up to society, reflecting life in a fast-paced, image-saturated era by creating playful, surreal and sometimes unsettling experiences.

Fujiwara’s work encompasses a broad range of subjects from history, mythology, sexuality and psychoanalysis to architecture, art history and anthropology. Despite its ambitious scope, his work is always closely tied to his own lived experiences, offering a personal lens onto larger societal questions.

Recurring motifs such as iconic figures, cartoons, theme parks, mass tourist sites and museums, show his fascination with the ways in which society represents, exaggerates or invents images of itself. He looks under these seemingly seductive surfaces to reveal a poignant question: why do we long for authenticity even as we build ever more artificial realities?

Bringing together nearly twenty years of work, this exhibition reveals the breadth of Fujiwara’s artistry, which spans painting, film, performance, animation and storytelling, using these diverse tools to paint portraits of the twenty-first century as it unfolds.