Kenya Shimizu is a serious artist who works in pen and ink and water colour
producing pictures which are often sexually explicit and feature fetish themes.
producing pictures which are often sexually explicit and feature fetish themes.
Kenya Shimizu - Eye of the Samurai
Like Hasegawa, he references Japanese culture and settings - for example, Samurai warriors and weapons, theatrical masks, tattoos - and of course, bondage.
Kenya Shimizu - Drops of Love
Drops of Love is one of his most memorable images, the treatment is distinctly romantic.
Compared with Hasegawa, however, the body shown seems to be a vehicle for the art
rather than an object of desire in it's own right.
Kenya Shimizu - Kiss of Death
The pen and ink works have more edge about them. They are authentically Japanese and highly stylised - sometimes with bold perspectives and slanted sight lines. The crowded, patterned backgrounds are interesting artistically, but compete for attention with the subject matter.
I like Shimizu's work and would happily hang some of the water colours on my wall, but find it hard to get excited about it from a fetish or erotic standpoint. It somehow lacks the darkness and challenge one normally expects from Japanese art.
There's a good selection of his work at Adonis Art of London - Kenya at Adonis Art
Note: I have listed this artist under 'K' simply because that is the first letter of his artistic name (as shown on the paintings). I use this arbitrary method to get round unravelling 'composite' names like MCarcel (Mike Carcel) and initials like 'JAD'. I confess I don't know enough about names in Japan (and Southern Hemisphere cultures generally) to identify forenames and family names either!
Readers are welcome to contribute their own comments - even if they differ from mine!
For earlier examples in this series click on the A-Z label below
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