HAJIME SORAYAMA (B. 1947)

Hajime Sorayama, also known as “the Godfather of airbrush painting”, is a Japanese contemporary artist who is celebrated globally for his hyper-realistic, sensual female robots. In 1978, Sorayama astonished the world with his unconventional “Sexy Robot” series that marked the beginning of his signature metallic droids - the ‘gynoid’ or ‘fembot’. Sorayama began his artistic career drawing pin-up girls in school and still defines his recent works as pin-up art. He explains, “There is no stories in my pictures. The models exist on their own, in a self-determined state of completion. Therefore, I think my work still belongs to the paradigm of pin-up art”.

Inspired by the flawless physicality of Greek gods, Sorayama has adorned his goddess-like robots with idealized proportions. The immense detail manifests the figures as ‘super-real’, amplifying the femininity of the droids. Yet, the harsh rigidity of the metallic exterior creates a barrier that juxtaposes the robot’s alluring beauty. Such dichotomy suggests the unattainability of ideal beauty. His unique style of super-realism fused with retrofuturism has mesmerized the attention of many, frequently attracting big clients such as SONY, Dior and KAWS to collaborate with the artist. Some of his groundbreaking collaborative masterpieces include the AIBO robot pet and Aerosmith’s album cover “Just Press Play”.