About “Colorful Rebellion -Seventh Nightmare-”

I created this work as if I was writing my autobiography. Struggling in this confined space of confession, I battle with the waves of darkness washing up against me in a night without end. I am not trying to express the grotesque through kawaii elements, but the essence of kawaii that exists in the process by which individuals are attracted to, and become dependent on, kawaii things. The process by which young girls become adults is full of twists and contortions, potentially resulting in a colorful mutiny. That I have created a safe haven for disobedience perhaps is my most cardinal sin. This installation comprises six themes and a seventh which is determined by you.

The phrase Colorful Rebellion explores the possibility of inciting a revolution using the power of color, in opposition to the modern world as represented by shades of black, gray and camouflage. It originated as the title to a series of two-dimensional panels with three-dimensional motifs layered over the surface, and represented panoramic scenes from the Tokyo neighborhood of Harajuku as well as from the imagination of a young girl. However, for my first solo exhibition in New York, this work became a form of self-portrait and emblematic of a Colorful Rebellion. The subtitle, Seventh Nightmare, references the Seven Deadly Sins, reflecting upon the various mortal sins I have committed, or to which I have fallen prey, throughout my life thus far.

1. Desire – a dream always just beyond one’s grasp
2. The Future – hope and despair
3. Delusion – an endlessly expanding complex
4. Fate – looming currents
5. Wound – trauma trails
6. Reality – atop unstable rubble
7. Untitled – determined by you

Sebastian Masuda, 2024