Frieze London hosted many live performances this year, though the most provocative by far was by artist Ken Kagami with his intimate portrait session, rated PG-18. Hundreds of fair goers lined up daily at the Misako & Rosen performance booth to get their naughty bits drawn on paper. Using a marker, Kagami would sketch the visitors’ privates – genitals if you were a man, breasts if you were a woman.
After 30 seconds, Kagami would ring a bell to shuffle in his next visitor. All anxiously waiting for their turn, the visitor’s faces were plastered with a goofy smile, a somewhat rare sight at an art fair. As soon as they got their drawing, they would immediately tweet and Instagram it, eager to share the artist’s first “impression” of them.
Ken Kagami sat down with me to have a chat about the message behind his art. First off, you can’t take his art literally. His use of irony and humor goes far beyond drawing people’s private parts. The artist wants to lighten up the posh and stuffy atmosphere of the art fairs…And everyone loved it.
“I want to make people laugh, I was inspired by street artists and public spaces. There, they don’t draw people’s penises and breasts but here I can sketch whatever I want. I want to draw people’s genitals,” Kagami told Art Report.
So I wondered…How is it received in Japan? “Japanese culture is much more conservative. In my country they get scared. They don’t want to be involved with my art or approach the desk. When they see what I am drawing, they get nervous and go away. I wish I could make them smile a little.”
Does he ever sell his art? No. Kagami draws for free. “Ken is not interested in selling his drawings. It’s just for fun and it’s free. We are hoping that they like him as much in the U.S.,” explained Kagami’s gallerist, Jeffrey Ian Rosen of Misako & Rosen.
Ken Kagami is widly known for his previous character performance, “The Milk Man,” and mainly performs in Tokyo and Milwaukee. He is hoping to perform in other cities in the United States. Click here to see the rest of his portfolio or follow him on social media.
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