#Japan #Tokyo #AI Art #Emi Kusano #Ornament Survival

Exploring 'Ornament Survival': Emi Kusano's Innovative Exhibition

Emi Kusano, a trailblazer in the contemporary digital art scene, is set to reveal her latest works in a solo exhibition titled 'Ornament Survival' at √K Contemporary in Shinjuku, Tokyo, from May 16 to June 20, 2026. This exhibition represents the Japan debut of Kusano’s new series, 'Ornament Survival,' first showcased at Art Basel Hong Kong in March 2026, which garnered significant attention. Alongside this new series, the exhibition will feature some of her notable works, such as 'Office Ladies,' providing visitors with an opportunity to appreciate the evolution of Kusano's artistic journey.

Kusano has established herself as a key figure in the global digital art sphere, pushing boundaries long before the widespread adoption of AI in artistic expression. She has been creating unique artworks using customized AI models that learn from her visuals, which have been exhibited in prestigious venues, including M+ and the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa. As NFTs began to transform the circulation and acceptance of digital works, Kusano expanded her practice beyond these frameworks to explore expressions that blur the lines between physical and digital art. Notably, at the digital art sector of Art Basel Hong Kong 2026, she presented her first three-dimensional works, showcasing her unbounded creativity.

The 'Ornament Survival' exhibition addresses modern individuals’ struggles with self and societal approval amidst the information overload of contemporary life. In a world where desires remain unfulfilled and transformed into resources within an information-driven capitalism, emotions are often stripped down to mere data points. Kusano reflects on this distancing effect, emphasizing how technology increasingly blurs the lines of our existence. In a time when nostalgia for the 1980s and 1990s Japanese culture is fading into commodification and reconfiguration, she captures the idea that the boundary between reality and fiction is increasingly uncertain.

Through this series, Kusano channels her internal struggles and desires into the energy of a role model for contemporary women, merging her childhood aspirations of transformation with her vision to create a new expressive world.

Exhibition Details

Join us to experience Emi Kusano's new chapter in art:

• - Title: 'Ornament Survival'
• - Dates: May 16 - June 20, 2026
• - Location: √K Contemporary, 6 南町, Shinjuku, Tokyo
• - Opening Hours: 13:00 – 19:00
• - Closed on: Sundays & Mondays
• - Organized by: √K Contemporary
• - Additional Support: Tsubasa Koshide, Matsui Seisakusho, Tomoya Kishimoto, Kento Danbara, Eriko Kimura, Printed by FLATLABO
• - Exhibition Web: √K Contemporary
• - Stay Updated: For the latest information, check the gallery's website and social media.

Curator's Commentary

Kensho Tanbara, the curator, remarks on how Kusano’s works frequently feature stylized representations of women, such as 1980s pop idols and magical girl figures, reflecting both specific cultural images and the gender norms of a post-bubble Japan. For many girls raised in the 1990s, these images were more than mere visuals; they represented aspirations of transformation and visibility within a male-centric society. Inspired by transformative narratives, like those in 'Sailor Moon,' these images suggested that girls could become something more while being deeply tied to societal expectations of femininity.

In 'Ornament Survival,' Kusano examines the tension inherent in these relationships. Growing up attracted to these images, she has come to recognize how they were shaped by gender norms and male perspectives. Instead of critiquing from a distance, she engages with the complexities of affection and discomfort inherent in these representations. This work is not about abstract types but focuses on the visual environments that closely interact with the formation of identity. It becomes a space where ideas of transformation and femininity emerge deeply intertwined with lived experience.

Central to the exhibition is a series of AI-generated images that construct multiple self-images using Kusano's own bodily representations. These explore not a fixed identity but a gradual reconfiguration of familiar roles through styled presentations and contextual shifts. This series revisits the playful experiences of Kusano’s youth, where she engaged with dress-up dolls, allowing identity to be assembled through repetitions of rehearsal. These images reflect an ongoing reconfiguration of culturally learned roles rather than simple parallel imaginings of 'what could have been.'

The sculptures featured in the exhibition enlarge the forms of makeup compacts that evoke the transformation tools of magical girl culture, powerfully recalling this childhood sense of play into the exhibit space.

In Kusano's hands, the use of generative AI continues the long relationship between individual identity and existing images. By training these models on her own face and body, she consequently transforms herself into a form that is repeatable, amendable, and expandable, navigating a movement that brings her closer to a kind of 'standard' within these systems. This repetition does not solely address identity but also the ongoing process of becoming data.

By confronting how these forms persist through repetition, Kusano opens up more significant questions about identity in an age where images circulate with unprecedented speed and intimacy. What strategies are there for teaching one’s self in this current landscape? Today, outer appearances often become negotiation tools, where performing these roles approaches a survival strategy. In this context, how is identity continually adjusted to remain visible and interpretable?

Kensho Tanbara is a writer and curator, born in Tokyo in 1992. He graduated from Harvard University, where he studied art history. While crafting his career as a writer, he also engages in the planning and curation of art exhibitions, leading the 'OUT SCHOOL' project and participating in Yurakucho Art Urbanism. His notable exhibitions include 'Debugging Scenes' (2022, ANB Tokyo), 'The Abandoned Ark' (2023, Osaka Kansai International Art Festival), and 'Back to Thread' (2023, FUJI TEXTILE WEEK, Yamanashi).

Events

The exhibition will delve into Kusano's creative background and thoughts, alongside the contemporary themes drawing attention to AI and art. A talk event featuring curator Eriko Kimura (director of Hirosaki Brick Warehouse Museum) and Emi Kusano is scheduled for June 13 at 4 PM.
- Event: Talk with Eriko Kimura & Emi Kusano
- Date: June 13 (Saturday) 4 PM
- Free Entry, Reservation Required
- Registration: [email protected]

Additional events are also planned, and details will be announced as they are confirmed on the gallery's website and social media channels.

About the Artist: Emi Kusano

Emi Kusano (1990 -) is a multi-disciplinary artist and a leading figure in the global generative AI art scene. She began her career in her teens as a photographer documenting street fashion in Harajuku, with her early works displayed at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A). These formative experiences in fashion and photography laid the foundation for her understanding of how mass media shapes individual and collective identities.

Since then, her practice has evolved by integrating cutting-edge technology, placing AI as a collaborative partner rather than just a tool. Through this process, Kusano critically explores nostalgia, pop culture, and collective memory in the digital age.

Her works have been exhibited in leading institutions across more than 20 countries, including M+ (Hong Kong), Search Gallery (London), Grand Palais Immersif (Paris), and the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa. She has also participated in noted international art fairs such as Frieze Seoul and Untitled Art Miami. Notably, her representative series 'Office Ladies' that fuses photographic sensibilities with AI generation garnered global attention at Paris Photo. Selected works have appeared in auctions by Gucci and Christie's. Beyond visual arts, she is the lead singer and team leader of the musical unit 'Satellite Young,' reinterpreting 80s J-POP through a contemporary sci-fi lens and performing at international events like SXSW. She was chosen as a Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2025. Recently, she held a solo exhibition in New York titled 'Ego in the Shell,' collaborating with the seminal cyberpunk anime 'GHOST IN THE SHELL,' which received critical acclaim. In 2026, she is set to be the sole Japanese artist exhibiting at the digital art section Zero10 of Art Basel Hong Kong, achieving significant recognition.
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