Metamorphosis: The Nurturing of Identity
Artist Closeup: Pyuupiru
By: Emi Tamaru
I first came across Pyuupiru and her work when she was still, according to official paper work, a he. I read an interview of her conducted by Sebastian Masuda, the creative director of 6% DOKI DOKI (a “super-kawaii” shop located in Harajuku, Tokyo). Quite honestly, I wasn’t interested enough to look into Pyuupiru’s work after reading the interview.
The second time I came across Pyuupiru’s work, my mind was blown into pieces. She was taking part of the “GOTH” exhibition held at Yokohama Museum of Art in 2007, exhibiting her “Selfportrait” series. Through this series, Pyuupiru documented her struggles with gender identity disorder (GID) as well as her transformation from the male body to a female one, portraying herself as a boy, a monster, then a girl. The “Selfportrait” series also documented her undergoing sexual reassignment surgery (SRS), and most importantly, the process accepting her identity and nurturing it. A couple months later, I was fortunate enough to attend Pyuupiru’s performance held at the same museum. Here, she brought her “Selfportrait” series to life, and transformed herself on stage.
What makes Pyuupiru’s work so strong, be it her “Selfportrait” series, costume work or performances, is her ability to express deep inner emotions through her work, and allow the audience to empathize with those emotions, allowing them to be a part of her experience as someone in transition. Not only that, her work becomes an encouragement to those going through a similar experience to hers. As long as you are able to accept who you truly are, and embrace your own identity, there is nothing wrong about being who you are. There is no need to worry about others’ opinions or judgements. Self acceptance is what makes a person truly beautiful. As Pyuupiru says in her own words, “I can never create works that lie”.
A little bit about Pyuupiru:
Pyuupiru was born in Tokyo. She began creating original, eccentric costumes (originally designed to wear to clubs) by self-teaching herself how to use a sewing machine in her high school days. She began her artistic career in 1997, and gained acclaim by taking part in the Yokohama Triennale of Art in 2005.She also took part in the “Fashion Accidentally” exhibit held at Taipei Modern Art Museum in 2007. Her work has been gaining more attention. She is seen as an artist who constantly overthrows the traditional constraints of sexuality.
Using her obsessions and delusions as a source of inspiration and motivation, Pyuupiru attempts to connect the superficial aspects of humanity with the internal ones.
