Lot  13 Ravenel Autumn Auction 2010 Hong Kong

Ravenel Autumn Auction 2010 Hong Kong

Human's Own Evo 4

Showichi KANEDA (Japanese, 1970)

2009

Acrylic urethane paint, acrylic urethane primer surfacer, cutting sticker, FRP sculpture (unique)

107(L) x 40(W) x 38(H) cm

Estimate

TWD 1,640,000-2,460,000

HKD 400,000-600,000

USD 53,300-80,000

Sold Price

TWD 1,753,846

HKD 456,000

USD 58,763


+ OVERVIEW

Showichi Kaneda's "Human's Own Evo 4" takes the structural form of a racing car as its basic form of expression, but gives the car a shark-shaped external appearance. The connotation that the piece is intended to evoke is the never-ending struggle for survival on the part of human civilization. The car body is covered with a large number of trademarks and logos that reflect the general trends in society, culture and technology. In his work, Showichi Kaneda makes frequent use of the shark as a metaphor. As he sees it, the shark's behavioral patterns mirror the way human beings think and act. A shark never closes its eyes throughout its lifetime; it is always at least half awake, constantly ready to attack or move onwards, in the same way that human beings remain constantly on the alert throughout their lives.

Even in his early works, Showichi Kaneda was already making use of the shark's frightening appearance as a symbol of human society's orientation towards (and enthusiasm for) competition. His intricate structures represent the many different objects that human beings produce, while also cleverly utilizing human technology and symbols to transmit, in a cutting-edge manner, the artist's concerns regarding contemporary society. Kaneda is particularly worried by humanity's boundless greed, which is causing ceaseless damage to the environment and the planet on which we live. The way in which the shark butchers all living things around it offers a parallel to human behavior in this respect. Kaneda's creation of an "industrialized shark" or "biological car" gives this work just the right balance between beauty and hardness.

Related Info

Modern & Contemporary Art

Ravenel Autumn Auction 2010 Hong Kong

Monday, November 29, 2010, 11:30am