Acclaimed Japanese artist Hajime Sorayama is working with NANZUKA ART INSTITUTE to unveil a new public art sculpture at The Summit, a burgeoning complex in Shanghai’s Pudong New District. Produced in collaboration with Poly Group, Space Traveler presents Sorayama’s familiar femme bot in 13 feet of stainless steel as it hovers suspended above the ground surrounded by a concaving wall that mirrors the neighboring environment.
Space Traveler speculates into a future in which technology has transcended humanity. Sorayama’s sleek “Sexy Robot” carries the semblance of the species that created it, but is lifeless, only a reflection of the urges and sensibilities that dictate the changing states of human nature. Underpinning the erotic veneer of Sorayama’s work is an exploration into the commodification of the body and the increasing hybridization of humans and technology.
“Alternatively,” writes NANZUKA, Space Traveler “can be interpreted as raising questions of whether our technology will one day transcend the limits of the human body to bring an eternal life, and whether we will see a future where AI coexists with humans.”
The public art sculpture will be on view in Shanghai until November 6, 2024.
NANZUKA ART INSTITUTE
3F. The Summit tower #1,
Pudong New District, Shanghai
