Zenyoji Sei solo exhibition "At a Brink"
shimokitazawaartsAugust 11 - 23, 2026
1-7 pm
Closed on Aug 17 & 18.
opening reception*：Aug 11, 5-7pm
*Anyone can participate in the reception.
Shimokitazawa Arts is pleased to present At a Brink, the first solo exhibition by Zenyoji Sei (formerly known as Zenyoji Ayu).
Born in Tokyo in 1999, Zenyoji studied in the Glass Painting Department at Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design Halle, Germany, from Oct, 2023 to Mar, 2024. In 2025, Zenyoji graduated from the Department of Design at Tokyo University of the Arts and is currently enrolled in the First Oil Painting Laboratory of the Graduate School of Fine Arts at Tokyo University of the Arts.
Grounded in a persistent sense of personal unease, Zenyoji's practice explores visual expressions shaped by the political and social conditions of different eras, with a particular interest in themes such as war and gender. In 2025, the artist's graduation work, Generated Pimples—which questions idealized female images created to stimulate consumption through the use of AI-generated beauty and an acne-generating machine—garnered significant attention on social media. By presenting acne as a symbol of bodies erased in the pursuit of consumerist beauty ideals, the work made its presence visible through both humor and beauty, leaving a powerful and lasting impression.
For this first solo exhibition, Zenyoji turns attention to the themes of the nation-state, the military, and conscription, subjects that have long occupied the artist's thinking. Drawing on the boy and girl characters depicted in Japan Self-Defense Force recruitment posters, Zenyoji creates a new body of work in stained glass—a medium historically associated with religion and institutional power. Through the luminous eyes of these figures, the exhibition invites viewers to reflect on the ongoing realities of war and the state of human rights today.
Artist Statement
Will these images once again become sanctified? Or will they instead reveal the contradictions and anxieties embedded within their gaze?
In recent years, discussions surrounding constitutional revision and military expansion have increasingly taken on a sense of political urgency in Japan. The Liberal Democratic Party's proposed constitutional amendment would redefine the Japan Self-Defense Forces as a "National Defense Force" under the command of the Prime Minister and introduce language stating that it shall "protect the nation's sovereignty and independence, and preserve its territory, territorial waters, and airspace in cooperation with the people." Against this backdrop, I began examining the visual representation of characters used in Japan Self-Defense Force recruitment posters.
Since the "moe promotion" boom of the early 2010s, anime-inspired imagery has become a recurring feature in these recruitment campaigns. Its adoption has been explained as a way to make the Self-Defense Forces more approachable to younger audiences, their primary recruitment target. Today, anime-style characters continue to appear in promotional materials produced by regional recruitment offices, as well as in posters selected through public competitions. Yet the idealized bodies and emotions depicted in these images seem detached from the realities of violence and death inherent in the institution they represent.
During the Asia-Pacific War, approximately 2.3 million Japanese soldiers lost their lives, many as a consequence of decisions made by the government and military leadership. Nevertheless, contemporary debates surrounding constitutional revision and national security often fail to meaningfully carry forward the lessons of that history. At times, they even appear to romanticize sacrifice and devotion themselves.
In At a Brink, I extract the eyes from Japan Self-Defense Force recruitment posters and reconstruct them as stained glass using traditional techniques. Historically, stained glass has functioned as a nonverbal vehicle for narrative, visualizing systems of belief while transforming its subjects into stories and objects of veneration. Although these eyes initially appear clear and radiant, their stains, distortions, and imperfections become increasingly visible upon closer inspection. Are they gazing toward a hopeful future, or do they foreshadow the devotion and sacrifice demanded of boys and girls under totalitarianism?
Are we once again attempting to speak of the military without first undertaking sufficient historical reflection or renewing our commitment to human rights? Through these eyes, this work poses that question to those who stand before it.
Zenyoji Sei
(formerly known as Zenyoji Ayu)
Born in Tokyo, Japan, in 1999.
Oct, 2023 – Mar, 2024
Exchange student, Department of Glass Painting, Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design Halle, Germany
2025 B.F.A. in Design, Tokyo University of the Arts
Currently enrolled in the First Oil Painting Laboratory, Graduate School of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts.
Selected Exhibitions
2025
3rd BUG Art Award Finalist Exhibition, Tokyo
TOKYO MIDTOWN AWARD 2025 Finalist Exhibition, Tokyo
2024
Broken Window (Exhibition of Study Abroad Works), Halle, Germany
2022
Future Artist Tokyo, Tokyo International Forum, Tokyo
Setouchi Art Jack, Kagawa, Japan
2021
〇〇〇〇ッ〇 (Group Exhibition), Ameyoko Center Building, Tokyo
Consuming Commodity (Two-Person Exhibition), Ginza Chuo Gallery, Tokyo
Awards
2025
Finalist, 3rd BUG Art Award
Selected Artist, TOKYO MIDTOWN AWARD 2025
Heisei Geijutsu Prize, Tokyo University of the Arts Graduation Works Exhibition
2023
Excellence Award, Geidai Art Fes 2023
