Osamu Mori was born in 1983, and earned a master’s degree in sculpture from Tokyo University of the Arts in 2009. In the group exhibition “Sculpture − Blues & Low Blow” at TUA, he presented a bizarrely energetic sculptural work “Much ado about love − Kappa” with reference to Marilyn Monroe and Japanese monster, Kappa. The new exhibition “Cant Help Falling in Love” will be the very first solo show for Mori, and introduce his new works from a sculpture inspired by a Greek myth “Leda and the Swan” to a large-scale piece with motive of a bunny girl.

Mori’s sculpture is most distinctive in its dynamic expression of human figure and his expertise to portray minute details. Vital surfaces of fine gathers and scales depict the bulging muscles, the flattering scarf and the bouffant skirt, and never bore us.

Another characteristic of his work is the use of half-dried lumber, while wood pieces are commonly fully dried before sculpting in order to avoid warps and cracks. Mori especially favors moist and hollow pieces that may crack drastically while drying. He learns the nature of the material along the course of sculpting, and chisel the wood piece to create cracks in the way he intends. These cracks are incorporated into his sculpture. Hollows of wood pieces are as well carefully used to characterize nipples or collarbones.

To our surprise, he never prepares drawings or sketches before working on sculpture. Wood pieces are arranged and joined accordingly when he feels alteration is necessary. Mori considers that the tension created by such spontaneity is crucial to his work.

In the new piece “Leda and the Swan”, the subject Leda is entangled with a swan and demonstrates flirtatious appeal of a pinup girl by sticking out her tongue with a smile. Three breasts are on her chest, and her belly is strangely knobbed. According to the artist, the three breasts signify male desire and Leda is pregnant with a child of Zeus. This Leda is modeled after the iconic Betty Paige.

The exhibition title “Can’t Help Falling in Love “ expresses the rage for “femme fatale” and the artist’s urge for sculpture. Mori employs references to Marilyn Monroe and Petty Paige not only for their iconic status, but also for their direct stimulation of libido. With the high temperature and fume of expression, Mori’s sculpture evokes the vital pleasure of having a body in this contemporary society of digitalization.