For immediate release:
Shusuke Ao
In the night of missile rain, boy dreams of flying
June 9 - June 30, 2018
eitoeiko is pleased to announce a solo exhibition ‘In the night of missile rain, boy dreams of flying’ by
Shusuke Ao. The exhibition is the third solo exhibition with eitoeiko in seven years. Ao was known by
his installation by thousand of paper folding combat fighters, or an inside-out plane object. Ao focuseson the function of airplane, especially combat-plane from its appearance to the history. For years heshowed his giant artwork in museums. Also he has taught traditional Japanese painting at theuniversity that he received his B.A.

‘Disaster has come from the sky.’
Ao pays attention to the words by Mamoru Oshii, a movie director. Oshii often uses the phrase in hisinterview and in his book. You can see the image in his film. After the invention of airplane, Ao regards
a modern history as a history of warfare over our heads. Ammunition is a menace from sky. It wrests
our tranquility from above. Ao variegates both of its entertainment side and brutality into the art form.
At the exhibition, Ao shows a number of three-dimensional works such as AGM-84 Harpoon, a missile
made by clothing material and Phantom, a sculpture as his self portrait.

The country that I belong has no armed forces. My country is the one-and-only country which wasattacked by nuclear bomb in actual operation. A part of national territory has been occupied more thanseventy years. Yet the enemy country becomes the best friendly country now.
In Japan, an animation movie got a smash hit. In the movie, various school girls from various countries
battle each other with their tanks. This is my country.
My father was a fighter pilot of a military-like governmental organization. Because I inherited hispredilection for arms, my criterion of value depends on him. My father rode in F4-EJ Phantom II. So theairplane is my favorite, especially No.414 is my best one ever. Phantom II is outdated now, but when it
was in vanguard, the brothers were best-sellers and threw rain of bombs in the world. For me, thecombat plane is a symbol of recent past. From there, through my childhood, aerial bombing on TV,animations and movies follow on my time line. Phantom by Noriyuki Haraguchi took me to fly into theworld of contemporary art.
I observe the present with a fighter plane. Peace and war, old and new, man and infantility, I take anuniversality out of existing context, and mix, change and update it.
Arms are completely serious objects. They are ever-present. I have not experienced their brutality. I
hear the news of destruction they occurred. However, my heart is caught by the talon.
Whether from a fear, or a genetic influence, I don't understand. All I know is that is a complex. It is not
only my own personal problem. There are a lot of people like me all over the world. There are slaves ofarms those who are fascinated by the dangerous attraction. They lead me with their creations, and I
joined with them. In the other words, arms looks cool enough for me. I have to reveal the force by art.
Shusuke Ao, April 2018

Shusuke Ao (b.1981, Ibaraki)
2004 received B.A. from Tama Art University, Tokyo
2015-18 lecturer of Tama Art University, Japanese painting course
Exhibitions
2010 PAX-4, eitoeiko
2011 TRIAL, Museum of Aeronautical Sciences / Gateway Japan, Torrance Art Museum2012 Art & Air, Aomori Museum of Art / End of war in the decade of the 2010s, eitoeiko
2013 Imago Mundi, Luciano Benetton Collection, Venice2014 Players, Arts Maebashi, Gunma / Art & Air, Verkehr Museum, Shizuoka
2016 Art & Air, Tomakomai City Museum, Hokkaido
2017 Love Love Show 2, Aomori Museum of Art
Information
Exhibition title: In the night of missile rain, boy dreams of flying
Artist: Shusuke Ao
Schedule: June 9 - June 30 , 2018
Opening Party: June 9, 2018, 6PM-8PMClosed on Sunday and Monday
Venue: eitoeiko
Address: 32-2 Yaraicho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-0805
Phone: +81 (0)3-6873-3830
Contact to gallery: ei@eitoeiko.com
Images of artworks

AGM-84 Harpoon
2018
Synthetic leather, metals(buttons, etc.), clothing materials and cotton, with embroidery, etc.
L.408 x Dia.34.3 (Wingspan 91.4) cm

Phantom2016
Lacquer on FRP, etc.
L.176ｘW.63 x H.59 cm

Reference:
Ghost Lightning
2017
Acrylic on nylon cloth with leaf(brass and silver)
L.1567 x W.1067 x H.439 cm