Lot 1234: KOREHIKO HINO

KOREHIKO HINO
(B. 1976)
Looking At Me
titled and signed in Japanese; dated '2009' (on the reverse)
oil on canvas
145.5 x 112 cm. (57 1/4 x 44 in.)
Painted in 2009

In Korehiko Hino's Looking At Me (Lot 1234) and Pulling Clothes (Lot 1235), we are at instantaneously struck by the stunned state of two men, whose stunned facial expression combined with the tight clenching of mirror and shirt exemplify an anxiety caused by the constant bombardment of new technology and surprising discoveries, from mobile phones and computers to genetic manipulation. Given the infinite opportunities presented by technology, the man in Looking At Me tries to find himself in his reflection but does not seem to recognize himself. Likewise the same protagonist in Pulling Clothes tugs at himself as though trying to rouse himself from a dream state. In depicting human subjects as not enamored but rather overwhelmed by such inventions, Hino suggests that it is impossible for man to catch up with the present, much less the future. The enormous daily pressures of modern life and the possibility of extending life through science, have taken us beyond our once simplistic understanding and appreciation of life to profoundly shaking the very foundation of what we define as "reality." Using careful brushwork and rendition of fine details such as that of every hair, and dressing each man in simplistic 'uniform' of white t-shirts and jeans, Hino comments on the possible universality of the protagonist's emotions. Through Hino's art, viewers absorb this confounded emotion through osmosis and learn to feel equally blinded by the intense competition, rapid development, and boundless possibilities of the future.