When we met (see photo below), I was taken aback as to how much I assumed and how little I knew. It will never matter if 100 people have the same opinion, as it will always be an opinion and that's what I learned once again in meeting Aida.įirstly, he’s not a man who wants to do anything sexual with young girls, no matter what you may assume, from his works. Unless you directly ask an artist what something means, it will only be your opinion. I can’t tell you how frustrating it’s been in life, listening to someone's opinion about art or literature, giving special meaning to a brushstroke or a verse in a song.

With so many making assumptions of who an artist is, based on his works, making up any number of fantastical stories to explain the inner most workings of an artist.

The exhibition gave me a great insight into this controversial Japanese master artist, or so I thought. But don’t get me wrong for some, seeing how he developed, is maybe even more fascinating. Showing such a large body of work, spanning his entire career, was simply lost on me, as I really wanted to see his best pieces, which I did in the final gallery of the exhibition. With that said, he’s one of the most controversial and talented artists in the world today and I’d recommend going to his exhibition at the Mori Art Museum in Roppongi, Tokyo.Īfter seeing Aida’s exhibition, I can’t say I enjoyed the entire experience, as I felt the space was simply too big and he should have done a slightly smaller exhibition. It’s true, many of his works revolve around shocking imagery of naked female amputees, being led around by a collar for sexual purposes and it’s true there is a video of him masturbating for some time, which was filmed at an exhibition in NYC, and it’s true many of his works are based around sex and young girls. I’ve heard a lot about him, from being disturbed, a parasite on the image of Japan, a pervert, a master artist and so many others. The talent, ability, scale and imagination of this man is second to none and should make many artists step back and see just how much they need to learn. It’s safe to say Aida is one of the biggest artists in Japan today and one of the most talented artists in the world.

With prostitution, happening bars, soaplands and any manner of random sex-related establishment existing, the Japanese art culture is deeply affected by its sex culture, as with any culture. Few artists focus as much on this innocence and desirability of a school girl, than Makoto Aida. In the culture, older men can pay a young girl in products (bags, clothes, cell phones) to simply spend time with them and although this is supposed to be an innocent affair in principle, things can develop quickly. In Japan, the “school girl” is in many cases, both a power symbol and powerful. It's at this onset of puberty, when our minds change, we start kissing, going on dates, holding hands and becoming more and more attracted to the opposite sex. When I was 11, attending school back home in England, all of a sudden, I started looking at girls differently.

Makoto aida