INTRODUCTION

Text: Chie Sumiyoshi

Introducing Pyuupiru – the artist who spent two years to completely transform physically into a woman. Having experienced the adolescent years discovering gender identity disorder (GID) in himself and endured bullying, the artist was always conscious of himself as an ill, bloating monster. However, he is now smiling vibrantly as he is reborn as a “she,” like a beautiful snake that has avidly shed its skin repeatedly. Created as if weaving stories, her self-portraits are filled with the pains, discoveries and dark humor. She brings out identities by dressing up in such ways that sometimes appear cruel. Posing as an onnagata Kabuki actor presenting the traditional perversion of beauty, or as a grotesquely weird chanson singer who sways in between haggish and erotic looks may be close-ups on our daily lives. Through her work she is posing the question: How do we intend to live with the choice of clothing we decide every morning/night? Pyuupiru’s self-questioning and self-answering have passed a happy, satisfying stage and now heading toward a new creative dimension.