Hajime Sorayama
Hajime Sorayama is a Japanese illustrator known, along for his design work on the original Sony AIBO, for his precisely detailed, erotic portrayals of feminine robots. He describes his highly detailed style as “superrealism”, which he says “deals with the technical issue of how close one can get to one’s object.”
Hajime Sorayama was born in 1947 in Imabari, Ehime prefecture, Japan. He received his basic education at Imabari Kita High School where he began drawing Playboy inspired pin-ups. He was influenced by Makoto Oda’s book Nandemo Mite yaro (“I’ll go and see everything”) about his travels through Europe and Asia; Sorayama took interest in Greece and decided to enter Christian Shikoku Gakuin University to study English literature and Ancient Greek. In his second year, he founded the school magazine, Pink Journal, but was heavily criticized by teachers and students alike so left for Tokyo’s Chuo Art School in 1967 to study art.
Sorayama is known for his fine art, illustration, and industrial design. Of the distinction between the first two, Soryama commented in an interview: “Unlike art, illustration is not a matter of emotion or hatreds, but an experience that comes naturally through logical thinking.”
Sorayama’s first art book Sexy Robot, was published by Genko-sha in 1983. For the work, he used ideas from pin-up art, which in the book then appear as chrome-plated gynoids in suggestive poses. His next book, Pin-up (Graphic-sha, 1984), continued in the same vein. A number of his other works similarly revolve around figures in suggestive poses, including highly realistic depictions in latex and leather. His pin-up work appeared monthly for years in the pages of Penthouse magazine, and Playboy TV later aired made a television special on Soryama’s art. Sorayama said of his pin-up work: “That’s my mania. I’ve been drawing them since high school. Back then, there was this thing for the Playboy and Penthouse playmates. Now, it’s the girl-next-door, idol type, but in our day, these pin-ups were like goddesses. I guess I could describe it as my own goddess cult.” In 1985 Sorayama published the video Illustration Video,[4] his first work apart from the books of illustrations. This features work he did for the films Brain Dead (1992), Timecop (1994), and Space Trucker (1995); design of trading cards, limited-edition prints, CD-ROMs, and the cover art for Aerosmith’s 2001 album Just Push Play; art exhibitions; and the initial design for what would eventually become Sony’s dog-like robotic “pet”, the AIBO. He published an additional four books in the 1980s, and three new volumes plus a retrospective collection in the 1990s. Production models of Sony AIBO went to market on May 11, 1999.
In the 2000s, Sorayama’s first-generation AIBO design (the robotics of which were developed by Sony’s Toshitada Doi) received the Grand Prize of Best Design award, the highest design award conferred by Japan. AIBO has since been included in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) and the Smithsonian Institution. MOMA published a book, Objects of Design by Paola Antonelli, which included AIBO along with other noteworthy designs where form and function combine in harmony. AIBO was the first “artificially intelligent” mass-market consumer robot for entertainment applications. It has been the subject of special studies at Carnegie Mellon University and other academic institutions. Also in this decade, Sorayama produced nine more books and the Nike “White Dunk Project” included Sorayama’s art among the 25 most inspiring Japanese artists.
The artist released another retrospective, Master Works, in early 2010, and a new book, Vibrant Vixens, in May 2013 and updated version “XL Masterworks” in 2014. He worked with filmmakers in Hollywood on fantasy and science fiction projects, including a film about Penthouse. During 2012 and 2013, Sorayama worked on project(s) with American fashion designer Marc Ecko. In 2013 and 2014, Sorayama was engaged by Star Wars filmmaker George Lucas to create a spread of Twi’lek and droid fantasy Star Wars pin-ups for a tribute art book entitled Star Wars Art Concept, near the time Lucas’s company LucasFilm was sold to Disney.
In 2021, it was announced by the official merchandising account for The Weeknd on Instagram that he and Hajime Sorayama were partnering to produce merchandise to celebrate the 10th anniversary of The Weeknd’s mixtape, Echoes of Silence.
Modern English-language editions of Soryama’s art books give his name as Hajime Sorayama, using conventional Western order, with given name followed by surname. Some older publications give his name as Sorayama Hajime, using native Japanese name order, which puts the family name first.
1947 Born in Ehime, Japan
1969 BFA, Chuo Bijutsu Gakuen, Tokyo, Japan
Lives and Works in Tokyo
■ Solo Exhibition
2021 “SORAYAMA SHARK”, chi K11 art space, Guangzhou, China
“Metropolis”, HOW Art Museum, Shanghai, China
“Dinosauria”, NANZUKA 2G, Tokyo, Japan
2020 “SEX MATTER”, NANZUKA, Tokyo, Japan
“TREX”, NANZUKA 2G, Tokyo, Japan
2019 “SORAYAMA Space Park”, Central Embassy, Bangkok, Thailand
2018 “Sorayama Explosion 💥”, NANZUKA, Tokyo, Japan
“editions”, AISHONANZUKA, HongKong, China
2017 “Sawasdee Sexy Robot by Hajime Sorayama”, EchoOne ArtSpace, Bangkok, Thailand
“Club Sorayama”, LANDMARK, Hong Kong, China
“空山基的械慾論”, Wrong Gallery Taipei, Taipei, Taiwan
2016 “Sorayama”, Jacob Lewis Gallery, New York, NY, USA
“An actress is not a machine, but they treat you like a machine.”, NANZUKA, Tokyo, Japan
2015 AISHONANZUKA, Hong Kong, China
Little High, Tokyo, Japan
FIFTY24SF GALLERY, San Francisco, CA, USA
2014 Stussy Guest Artist Series – HAJIME SORAYAMA Exhibition Curated by NANZUKA, STUSSY HARAJUKU CHAPTER, Tokyo, Japan
2013 AISHONANZUKA, Hong Kong, China
Hajime Sorayama x graniph Exhibition, graniph Harajuku Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2011 “Hajime Sorayama : 1970-2010”, Gering & Lopeg Gallery, New York, NY, USA
“NEO DISCIPLINE”, Span Art Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
“Neo Japonism & Obsession”, TOKYO CULTUART by BEAMS/B GALLERY, Tokyo, Japan
2010 NANZUKA UNDERGROUND, Tokyo, Japan
Span Art Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2008 Opera Gallery, New York, NY, USA
WEAM, Miami, FL, USA
2007 “EROTOVISION”, Mondo Bizzarro Gallery, Rome, Italy
2005 Hysteric Mini 20th Anniversary Art Exhibition, Tokyo/Osaka/HongKong
Show Room, New York, NY, USA
2003 Ginza Graphic Gallery, Tokyo/Osaka, Japan
2002 Bape Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
1999 Tamara Bane Gallery, Los Angels, CA, USA
1998 Tamara Bane Gallery, Los Angels, CA, USA
ECR, Cologne, Germany
1994 UP’S Gallery
Tamara Bane Gallery, Los Angels, CA, USA
the Castlegate Hotel and Conference Center, Atlanta, GA, USA
1988 The Seibu Department Store Gallery, Hakodate, Japan
■ Selected Group Exhibition
2021 “POP-ING NANZUKA at AKI Gallery”, AKI Gallery, Taipei, TAIWAN
2020 “H.R.GIGER x SORAYAMA”, PARCO MUSEUM TOKYO, Tokyo, Japan
“Underground of Diversity”, Art Basel Miami Beach Online 2020
“GROBAL POP UNDERGROUND” PARCO MUSEUM TOKYO, Tokyo, Japan
“JP POP UNDERGROUND”, Shinsaibashi PARCO 14F, Osaka, Japan
2019 “Arsham × Sorayama”, NANZUKA 2G, Tokyo, Japan
“TOKYO POP UNDERGROUND”, Jeffrey Deitch, LA, US
“TOKYO POP UNDERGROUND”, Jeffrey Deitch, NY, US
“Art Basel Hong Kong 2019”, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, Hong Kong
“Span Art Gallery Collection 2019”, Span Art Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
“MUZAN -cruel and beauty-“, VANILLA GALLERY, Tokyo, Japan
“I draw”, D MUSEUM, Seoul, South Korea
“PEOPLE”, Jeffrey Deitch, Los Angeles, USA
“Taipei Dangdai”, Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, Taipei, Taiwan
2018 “AAF – AUTOMOBILE ART FEDERATION vol.7”, gallery YAMAWAKI, Tokyo, Japan
2017 “Exhibition of Mythical beast IV”, TOKYO KOTSU KAIKAN, Tokyo, Japan
“Alice 2017”, ROPPONGI STRIPE’S SPACE, Tokyo, Japan
“Blood and Roses”, SPAN ART GALLERY, Tokyo, Japan
“AUTOMOBILE ART FEDERATION(AAF)” YAMAWAKI GALLERY, Tokyo, Japan
“ARRIVAL XX PLANET THE COLLECTION – EXHIBITION OF KAWS × MURAKAMI TAKASHIʼS WORKS”Je Fine Art Gallery Shanghai, Shanghai
The Encyclopedia of Masamichi Katayama “Life is hard… Let’s go shopping.”, Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
“THE UNIVERSE AND ART”, ARTSCIENCE MUSEUM, Singapore
“Hello, Robot: Design Between Human and Machine”, Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein, Germany
“The Encyclopedia of Masamichi Katayama”, Tokyo Opera City Art Galleryz, Tokyo, Japan
“TENGAI 3.0″(Traveling exhibition), hpgrp GALLERY TOKYO,Tokyo, Japan
“頹恋期”, Mangasick, Taiwan
2016 “Desire”, Moore Building, Miami, FL, USA
“TENGAI 3.0”, hpgrp GALLERY NEW YORK, New York, NY, USA
“The Universe and Art”, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan
“Cosmic Fusion 4”, O Museum, Tokyo, Japan
“TRIBUTE TO KOW YOKOYAMA”, TOKYO CULTUART by BEAMS, Tokyo, Japan
“ALLOY & PEACE”, Spiral, Tokyo, Japan
2015 “Unorthodox”, The Jewish Museum, New York, NY, USA
“Exhibition of Mythical beast Ⅱ”, Bunkamura, Tokyo, Japan
“MEDICOM TOY EXHIBITION’15”, PARCO MUSEUM, Tokyo, Japan
“The Aesthetics of Fantasy – Japanese Erotica in Contemporary Art”, Bunkamura, Tokyo, Japan
“Here is ZINE tokyo 10”, Tokyo Cultuart BEAMS, Tokyo, Japan
“FELIX THE CAT – Cats Out Of The Bag”, SLOW CULTURE, Los Angeles, CA, USA
2014 LEATHER JAPAN 2014, New York, NY, USA
Amalia Ulman + Hajime Sorayama Exhibition, London, UK
“JAPAN EROTICA”, Musee de lerotisme, Paris, France
“with Hello Kitty”, MDP GALLERY/SPACE M, Tokyo, Japan
“PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL! KILL!”, Vanilla Gallery/Kinokuniya Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
“O’s story”, billiken Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
“atrocity beauty”, Vanilla Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
HORIYOSHI THE THIRD x Hajime Sorayama, Galleria Harajuku, Tokyo, Japan
KITAHARA COLLECTION, Takamatsu city museum of Art, Takamatsu, Japan
Span Art Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2013 “The Pop Surrealism Show”, Opera Gallery, New York, NY, USA
“UKIYOE Roman Exhibition”, Span Art Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
“ALICE Fantasy tale exhibition”, Bunkamura, Tokyo, Japan
2012 “Cosmic Fusion III”, O museum, Tokyo, Japan
The ObsessionArt 5th Anniversary Exhibition, The Gallery in Cork Street, London, UK
“Artist’s book by Treville 1985-2012”, Kinokuniya Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
“Monster”, billiken Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
“Japanese Erotic Artsts”, Jinbocho Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2011 “MEDICOM TOY 15th ANNIVERSARY”, PARCO MUSEUM, Tokyo, Japan
“Here is ZINE tokyo 2”, Tokyo Cultuart BEAMS, Tokyo, Japan
Hamamatsu Municipal Museum of Art 40th Anniversary Special Exhibition, Hamamatsu Municipal Museum of Art, Shizuoka, Japan
“Märchenism”, The Tobu Department Store Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2010 “CODE : EROTICA”, Bunkamura, Tokyo, Japan
KITAHARA COLLECTION, Mori Arts Center Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2009 “Almost There” Time Tunnel Series Vol.29, G8, Tokyo, Japan
2008 “CARNIVORA”, FUSE Gallery, New York, NY / L’Imagerie Gallery, Los Angeles, CA / CPOP Gallery, Detroit, MI, USA
2007 20th Anniversary Exhibitions “Graphics & Messages”, GGG, Tokyo, Japan
2006 Ginza Recruit Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2005 “Winter Invitational”, Art At Large, New York, NY, USA
1997 “Forum–Gelande”, Castrop-Rauxel, Germany
1989 “Ferrari Hall”, Munich, Germany
■ Award
2001 Inventor’s Award – Asahi newspaper
1999 Good Design Grand Prize Award
Media Art Festival Grand Prize Award
1996 Vargas Award
■ Public Collections
Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA
Smithsonian Institute of Technology Museum. Washington DC, USA
World Erotic Art Museum, Miami, USA
US Library of Congress. Washington DC, USA