Self-portrait (Actress): After Setsuko Hara 

Morimura Yasumasa creates cosplay-like photographs and videos in which he assumes the identities of figures from famous paintings and historical events. Nowadays, photos can easily be edited with software, but Morimura dons make-up and costumes himself, even if it looks a little awkward. In this work, he becomes Hara Setsuko, an actress most famous for her role in director Ozu Yasujiro’s film Tokyo Story. Hara made a name for herself as a film actress even before the war, and was also known for appearing in many wartime propaganda films. Tokyo Story captures the feelings of being left behind by the rapid changes that occurred in Japan in the post-war era. However, Morimura’s Hara is more suggestive of those Japanese who quickly adapted to capitalism and democracy as if they had completely forgotten the past.
(KIMURA Eriko)