EXOSKELETON

A body underneath a body, a shell underneath a shell, heroes and monsters both have their own powers, their own abilities and their own outer layers that are different from human beings. The difference between heroes and monsters is that the former, as protagonists, protects and the latter, as antagonists, destroys.

Sauce, the artist, grew up with Japanese pop culture during the 80s and 90s. At the time, the ultra-human cartoons were full of heroes and monsters in armors and shells, the outer layer ‘garment’ that had been specially tailored to convince the audience that good versus bad is determined by the outer appearance. The bad-looking ones are bad and the good-looking ones are good. Even though, ‘the shell wearers’ are merely humans.

The EXOSKELETION exhibition and the weighty ideas behind it are portrayed through the playful yet charismatic visuals. At the same time, each piece also shows the underlying thoughtful meanings within the details and symbols on the character. The artist ‘speaks’ through his pop-surrealist character that has a unique set of armors. The armors are inspired by animals with hard shells, and also by ancient gods. The symbols such as the news-receiving radar on a headpiece, a helmet with motorcycle’s handles, the third and fourth eyes, the colors that signify genders and the kanji characters that represent the messages of the art pieces.

Even if you have your own idea of heroes and monsters, prior to this, the ‘shells’ or ‘exoskeletons’ the artist has created for this exhibition may not portray the same exact concept you once knew. Which one is a hero and which one is a monster, it all depends of your very own judgement.