Asian beauty remembered

The name Sayoko Yamaguchi may ring a bell among people of a certain age. As a model representing “Asian beauty” – characteristics that once seemed to hold some influence over the fashion and commercial spheres – Yamaguchi was often seen on fashion runways both at home and abroad from the early 1970s on. She also was seen posing for cosmetics company ads or acting with an underground theatre troupe.

Whatever she did, Yamaguchi always stood out. The black, blunt bob and makeup emphasising her almond-shaped eyes as well as the cool, sometimes decadent, aura she had around her, always made her conspicuous.

Now she’s the subject of a new exhibition. “Sayoko Yamaguchi – The Wearist, Clothed in the Future”, currently on display at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo in Koto Ward, shows the course of the build-up of the “Yamaguchi style”. It also examines how she influenced younger generation artists.

Tomoko Yabumae, who curates the show, says she was motivated to tread the path of Yamaguchi, who died in 2007 at the age of 57, while people’s memories of her were still strong.

 “We will be able to see one family tree of culture in this country – something that has been invisible – by confirming how she always freely expressed herself, connecting different genres, straddling major and underground cultural fields, as well as transcending generations,” Yabumae says.

“Speaking from a wider perspective, I think it is important to study her to confirm the truly rich culture in this age when the idea of a uniform globalisation prevails,” Yabumae adds,

“Yamaguchi pursued her originality in a very local way. And because of the original, highly local nature, she has been internationally recognised.”

The exhibition starts with a variety of items Yamaguchi collected, ranging from magazines to dolls, which shows, according to Yabumae, her “cultural place of origin”.

The archive section is followed by fashion photographs, artworks and posters that include those from Shiseido Co, for which Yamaguchi worked exclusively in and after 1973.

Works of a variety of designers who regarded Yamaguchi as their muse reflect how she became an icon of the times. The exhibition also shows Yamaguchi working in the field of performing arts from the late 1970s to 2000 and her collaboration with an underground theatre company led by Shuji Terayama.

Referring to herself as a “wearist,” Yamaguchi is believed to have said what humans wear comprises everything around them, including air and light. For such a “wearist,” to become a performing artist might have been a matter of course, since it allowed her to put on something more than clothes to express herself.

Of special note among works done in tribute to Yamaguchi by five groups of artists are those by Exonemo. In these works, the artists did away with Yamaguchi’s image in the photos and posters in which she originally appeared and the absence of her image underlines her presence.

Yabumae says she has found it interesting that young people who did not know Yamaguchi have been deeply impressed with her activities.

 “I think it is interesting that the ‘model’ Yamaguchi created for her life is still valid, inviting the attention of younger people,” she says.

 

Back to the future

“Sayoko Yamaguchi — The Wearist, Clothed in the Future” runs through June 28 at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo in Koto Ward, Tokyo. 

It’s open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm. 

Visit www.Mot-Art-museum.jp.