'Godzilla The Art Exhibition' reimagines film icon as monstrous muse for modern art

Japan Times

2 days ago

Even if you've never seen one of the 30-plus films starring Japan's most iconic kaijū, you can probably hum a few bars of Akira Ifukube's theme or recognize the beast's signature roar. In Japan, Godzilla has been a near-constant presence since its debut in 1954 with its eponymous film, and multiple generations of filmmakers have used the monster to reflect on issues from nuclear warfare and pollution to natural disasters.
"Godzilla 70th Anniversary 'Godzilla The Art Exhibition,'" currently on display at The Mori Arts Center Gallery through June 29, takes Godzilla beyond the world of filmmaking and asks leading modern artists to interpret the beast from their own point of view.
"Godzilla is now 70 years old, and 2025 marks 80 years since the end of World War II," says exhibition curator Qiuyu Jin. "We wanted to use the giant icon known as Godzilla to create a new kind of dialogue in a form outside of cinema."
On display are pieces by nine artists putting their spin on Godzilla through a range of media, including collage, sculpture, video and diorama. The artists, who include Tadanori Yokoo, Miran Fukuda and O Jun, span a range of generations, from those born before Godzilla's debut to those in their 30s for whom Godzilla is a fact of life.
"Having a wide age range was very important," Jin says. "Each generation has its own unique relationship with Godzilla, and by putting those different interpretations together, the hope was that something interesting would occur."
The artists were given no specific direction other than to use their preferred media to share their own take on Godzilla. Some pieces, like Yokoo's vivid collage, feature head-on depictions of the monster, while others, like Kikuji Kawada's series of street photographs, leave only a vague, unnerving impression of its presence.
Qiuyu Jin says prioritizing "the pure experience of visitors in encountering art" was key to curating "Godzilla The Art Exhibition." |
Matt Schley / TM & © TOHO CO., LTD.
"I was really surprised by what some of the artists came up with," says Jin. One of the most unexpected pieces is a massive wooden sculpture by Motohiko Odani depicting a humanoid Godzilla facing off against a tiny soldier, suggesting conflict not between monsters and humanity but between humans themselves, according to the artist. Meanwhile, Natsumi Aoyagi and Tomoko Sato, both born in 1990, use their generation's preferred medium, video, to create faux news reports about Godzilla's impending arrival.
The exhibition also features several pieces previously featured in a series of "Godzilla The Art" installations at Gallery X by Parco in Shibuya. Included are playful takes on the monster, like Ryuichi Ohira's "Godzilla Hammer," a massive hammer with Godzilla as its head, and "Frenemy" by Stickymonger, which depicts Godzilla casually taking a break with other actors on set between takes.
The exhibition is tied together by set design featuring collapsed walls and protruding wires, making it feel as if Godzilla has stomped through the space. This atmospheric element, produced by the creative team Cekai — as well as intricate dioramas by Stockholm-based modeler TokyoBuild and special effects company Toho Eizo Bijutsu — provide an almost theme park-like feel more reminiscent of past Godzilla-centric events than the modern art on display.
At times the exhibition, with its various outlooks, can feel discordant. But as a collection of thoughts and feelings about a fictional creature whose reach spans multiple generations, that's sort of the point. One key for Jin as a curator was not to present Godzilla's history chronologically, but to prioritize "the pure experience of visitors in encountering art."
Considering the huge critical and financial success of the most recent "Godzilla" films, one imagines Japan's iconic kaijū will keep stomping well beyond its seventh decade and inspire even more artists to think about what it means to them.
"This exhibition itself is temporary, but there's something timeless about Godzilla," says Jin.
'Godzilla 70th Anniversary 'Godzilla The Art Exhibition'" is on display at The Mori Arts Center Gallery in Tokyo through June 29. For more information, visit godzillatheart.com/exhibition