The Metropolis

Pigs ear bunting, sex-faced elephants and a ten foot high bra. Meet the art of Ayuko Sugiura

Mike Pollitt | Tuesday 11 September, 2012 11:07

Ayuko Sugiura has finished hanging her pigs ear bunting in the corner of the WW Gallery. On the ears are inscribed letters which spell out HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

So I know 2012 has been a year of bunting. Bunting is very much on trend. But how to explain this?

“The pigs’ ears have a kind of beauty,” says Tokyo-born Ayuko. She’s a recent graduate from Slade and this show is her first solo exhibtion.

“Everybody knows bunting, it’s for happy occasions. But [on my bunting] we can still see the hairs and veins.”

Across the room, a translucent silicon cathedral is under construction. Visitors to the show will be encouraged to step inside it and look out through shimmering silicon strands. For art-interested Londoners, It might be the first cathedral they’ve entered in a very long time.

“Religion is powerful. I’m interested in a big huge group of people trying to believe the same things. It sounds dangerous…The cathedral is made of silicon [which is used] as a surrogate of human skin.”

Ayuko’s show is called Second Skin. She wants you to step inside the cathedral so you can wear it.

On the walls are pretty objects. Here are some silicon sheep ears.

And a yonic pink elephant.

What’s going on here? What does the artist want us to feel?

“The attraction of stupidness”

Ayuko Sugiura says.

“There is a connection…the things I think are always about humans. I want to use [materials] around our life. We always ignore the structures inside our own bodies.”

Ayuko talks about creating hybrids, new forms from familiar materials. On another wall hangs an enormous bra, hung like a religious icon, another object close to our bodies and our skins.

It’s an interesting show.

Second Skin is on until the at the WW Galley until October 6 2012. The gallery is open Wed-Sat and the nearest station is Chancery Lane. Their website has the details.

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