Simon Fujiwara (UK/JP)
![Image: Simon Fujiwara, [Joanne], 2016/2018. Courtesy the artist; FVU, The Photographers’ Gallery; Ishikawa Foundation; and Esther Schipper, Berlin. Film still © the artist.](https://photo.org.au/api/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/vlcsnap-2016-11-14-11h31m43s150-200x112.jpeg)
Image: Simon Fujiwara, Joanne, 2016/2018. Courtesy the artist; FVU, The Photographers’ Gallery; Ishikawa Foundation; and Esther Schipper, Berlin. Film still © the artist.
Image: Simon Fujiwara, Joanne, 2016/2018. Courtesy the artist; FVU, The Photographers’ Gallery; Ishikawa Foundation; and Esther Schipper, Berlin. Film still © the artist.
The work of British-Japanese artist Simon Fujiwara is a personal exploration of the wistful human desire that underpins tourist attractions, historical icons, celebrities, “edutainment,” and neo-capitalism. In this seductive yet fraught arena, his work reveals the paradox of our simultaneous quest for fantasy and authenticity in the culture we consume. In his many exhibitions—which include a full-scale reconstruction of the Anne Frank House, a ‘rebranding campaign’ of his former high school art teacher and a theme park ride that takes you into the world of Youtube—we see a distorted reflection of the real world through the artist’s fantastical and sometimes disturbing universe.