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💡 07. Introducing Hiroto Ikeuchi

Hiroto Ikeuchi is a Japanese designer and artist based in Tokyo. He fashions intricate and wearable cyberpunk-inspired gears out of recycled plastic and industrial components.

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By Chloe Sun
3 min read
💡 07. Introducing Hiroto Ikeuchi

Hiroto Ikeuchi: About the Artist

Hiroto Ikeuchi is a Japanese designer and artist based in Tokyo. He creates intricate and wearable cyberpunk-inspired gears, composed mainly out of plastic models, industrial components, and other miscellenious gadgets. His works are heavily inspired by Japanese art, media, and pop culture, taking cues from franchises like Gundam, Zoids, and Star Wars. According to Hypebrother’s article, his works can be characterized as “cyberpunk” in the sense that they…

  • …highlight the fusion of the organic and the mechanic, leading to cyborg imageries.
  • …contrast lowlife and hightech through the reimagination of scalvaged, cheap parts.
  • …subvert the status quo and empower the marginalized.

Associated Terms: Cyberpunk

Contacts: Find Ikeuchi on X @ik_products :)

The Ikeuchi Hiroto exhibition features - you guessed it - the cyberpunk gadgets of Ikeuchi Hiroto. It was hosted by the Sai Gallery in Tokyo, opening on 8 January 2022 and running until 30 January 2022. It featured a variety of ready-made plastic models from Ikeuchi, ranging from futuristic vehicles, to full-body suits, to fasionable headgears.

Thoughts: Personal Reflections and Connections

I find it interesting how Ikeuchi’s creations feel distinctly more commercial and cosmetic compared to some of the other artists I examined in this series. Part of this conception comes from the fact that Ikeuchi’s aesthetics are closely linked to high fashion: He famously collaborated with BALENCIAGA for their Spring 2022 collection, and he has featured across prestigious publications, such as VOGUE and V Magazine. Ikeuchi also implicitly labels his projects as “products” on his social media accounts (as aforementioned, his X handle is @ik_products).

The fact that Ikeuchi’s works are ready-made and wearable also appeals to functionality, blurring the boundary between conceptual art and practical hardware. Additionally, they are mainly constructed from recycled plastic, furthering this aesthetic of utility. It is a fascinating example of practical yet fashionable equipment. Simultaneously, I am sure that these gadgets are far out of budget for the average person. Consequently, they are overall inaccessible and upmarket, which contradicts the subversive and revolutionary roots of cyberpunk, as outlined by Hypebrother’s article.

Lastly, I highlighted this comparison in my discussion of Noah Harders, but it is interesting to see how the basic prompt of a “futuristic headpiece” gets interpreted by different artists. The contrast between Ikeuchi’s commercial, high-tech helmets and Harders’ personal, nature-inspired masks also seems to highlight a broader divergence in Pan Asian futurism, in which East Asian artists (e.g. Ikeuchi, Lee Bul) tend to commentate on humanity’s relationship with technological progress, while South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander artists (e.g. Harders, Derek Tumala) tend to emphasize reconnection with nature/culture. This is not always the case, of course, but it is fascinating to note these trends.

Resources and Further Readings 📖

This entry is just a simple introduction to Hiroto Ikeuchi and his body of work. If you are interested in exploring his process, practice, and philosophy in greater depth, I have gathered below a little index of resources that I found very informative. I have also starred sources that were exceptionally in-depth and enlightening.

Photograph of a model wearing the headgear “ergosphere,” produced and posted by Ikeuchi on X ⬇️

RESEARCH. Visions of Pan Asian Futures (VPAF)
asian art history of art visual studies art education futurism cyberpunk cyborgs
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