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The work of British Japanese artist Simon Fujiwara (b. 1982, London) invites us to confront the contemporary world in all its beauty and complexity, its absurdities and contradictions. The artist holds a mirror up to society, reflecting life in a fast-paced, image-saturated era by creating playful, surreal and sometimes unsettling experiences.
Fujiwara’s work encompasses a broad range of subjects from history, mythology, sexuality and psychoanalysis to architecture, art history and anthropology. Despite its ambitious scope, his work is always closely tied to his own lived experiences, offering a personal lens onto larger societal questions.
Recurring motifs such as iconic figures, cartoons, theme parks, mass tourist sites and museums, show his fascination with the ways in which society represents, exaggerates or invents images of itself. He looks under these seemingly seductive surfaces to reveal a poignant question: why do we long for authenticity even as we build ever more artificial realities?
Bringing together nearly twenty years of work, this exhibition reveals the breadth of Fujiwara’s artistry, which spans painting, film, performance, animation and storytelling, using these diverse tools to paint portraits of the twenty-first century as it unfolds.
Biography
Simon Fujiwara (1982, London) has held solo exhibitions at institutions such as Kiasma, Helsinki (2024); Prada Aoyama, Tokyo (2022); Fondazione Prada, Milan (2021); Blaffer Art Museum, Dallas (2020); Lafayette Anticipations, Paris; Kunsthaus Bregenz (2018); Kunsthalle Düsseldorf (2016); The Carpenter Center, Harvard University, Cambridge (2014); Kunstverein Braunschweig (2013); Tate St. Ives (2012); The Power Plant, Toronto (2011) and Julia Stoschek Collection, Düsseldorf (2010). He has participated in numerous group exhibitions and biennials including at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago; M+, Hong Kong (2025); Ulsan Museum (2023); Kunsthalle Hamburg (2022); Schwules Museum, Berlin (2020); The Shed, New York; 16th Istanbul Biennial; Hamburger Bahnhof (2019); Museum Angewandte Kunst, Frankfurt am Main (2017); Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York (2015); 9th Shanghai Biennale (2012) and the 53rd International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia (2009). His work is held in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; Tate, London; Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo; Hamburger Kunsthalle; Centre Pompidou, Paris and Fondazione Prada, Milan. Simon Fujiwara lives and works in Berlin.