Author: Ho Tzu Nyen
Publisher: torch press
Size: 14.8 x 22 cm
This book was published on the occasion of Singaporean artist Ho Tzu Nyen's solo exhibition "Hyakki Yako (Night March of Hundreds Monsters)” held at the Toyota Municipal Museum of Art.
The term "Hyakki Yako“ refers to the procession of various strange creatures at night. In Japan, there are already descriptions of this phenomenon in 9th-century literature. In other words, nowadays, it means evil spirits of the mountains and mountains doing ugly deeds. (Sometimes the expression is used to ridicule the ugly deeds of those in power and others.)
The theme of the exhibition is Japanese “yokai”(monsters). His animation work of yokai on the subject of yokai are very accesible. Those of us who grew up in Japan have been familiar with yokai since we were small children through anime and manga. Not only do yokai bring misfortune to humans, but they can also play tricks and bring good luck to the homes they inhabit.
Through his research not only in Japan but in Asia as a whole, Ho Tzu Nyen lightly shows us a side of our true nature and a human obsession skillfully concealed qualities that take the form of "yokai" along with the traces of wars.
The book illustrates many Japanese yokai, accompanied by short passages quoted from other people's words about their nature they represent. The sentences are often poignant, as if they had come to mind for me. It is a glimpse into human nature, obsession, war, and the human nature that is revealed by war. It makes us realize what we need to face again in this day and age.
From the publisher's site ---------------
Ho Tu Nen is sometimes bewitching while crossing multiple areas such as video, installation, sound, and theater. In addition, while sometimes fascinating the viewers dynamically, he develops works set in Asia centered on his hometown of Singapore. At the "Ho Tu Nen Hyakuki no Yakou" exhibition being held at the Toyota Municipal Museum of Art, 100 bizarre and humorous youkai will parade through the darkness using animation. Japanese who were active in Malay (Singapore became independent of the Malay Federation in 1963) during World War II also appear there in the form of youkai. Centered around Tomoyuki Yamashita, who was also known as the "Malay Tiger," and Yutaka Tani, who became the model for the hero program "Kaiju Harimao" in the 1960s, and the soldiers and spies who made a leap around them. Thinkers of the time. The youkai that emerge from the rifts of everyday life will reflect the times when they were fascinated by demons. The youkai, who have attracted the masses with fear and curiosity, have swayed with the times between folklore and science, nature and the supernatural, oblivion and nostalgia. The complex history and spiritual history of Japan emerges at the intersection of the past and the present, the youkai that disappeared after the modern era, the war that swept the world after that, and the modern Japanese culture. This book, which is the catalog of this exhibition, is a guide to introduce 100 youkai and a book to understand the various and complicated elements contained in the exhibition.
Toyota Municipal Museum of Art, October 23, 2021 (Sat) -January 23, 2022 (Sun)
"Ho Tuen Hyakuki no Yakou"