[OUTLET] Meet the KEMONO : eye contact by Tatsuya Horimoto

This is a collection of authentic works by Tatsuya Horimoto, a Kemono artist who anthropomorphizes animals or mimics human beings.

This book includes works from his early days to his latest creations, ranging from familiar Kemono that look like they could be found in anime or manga, to deified representations like Greek sculptures, or sexy Kemono that are bewitched by their seductive forms.

In his early years, Horimoto created works in which he implanted individual strands of his own hair to satisfy his desire to transform into “Kemono,” as well as works in which he was reborn as Kemono through regression from the womb. While still in college, he received numerous awards and attracted attention, but the shock of not becoming a Kemono and the discomfort of having only his “hair” featured in his works led him to stop expressing his hair. He changed to a new work that uses spherical-jointed doll technology and stone clay to create a smooth skin texture.

“Kemono” in katakana refers to anthropomorphic expressions that include human emotions, senses, language, appearance, and gestures in non-human animals, or mimetic animal expressions that include animal-like emotions, senses, language, appearance, and gestures in humans. Horimoto, who has had an interest in and admiration for beasts since he was a child, focuses on the human mindset toward beasts. It will be a new discovery for Kemono enthusiasts and art lovers alike.