Located in the heart of Kurobe, Toyama Prefecture, famous for the Kurobe Gorge and Kurobe Dam, Kurobe City Museum of Art is showing an intriguing exhibition of animal-metamorphosed humans by Toyama artist-performer Saeborg. Commemorating the museum’s 30th anniversary, “Saeborg Enchanted Animals” runs until January 13th this year. The display is staged like a theatrical space where Saeborg (coined from the artist’s name Saeko and cyborg) represents her alter ego in the form of a half-human and half-toy. In usual performances, she exaggerates her body figure with latex body suit and appears as farm animals, such as pig, cow, sheep, and others, in their respective natural settings.

Saeborg Enchanted Animals, 2024 installation view, Kurobe City Art Museum, Photo: Ryohei Yanagihara

The concept is based on instilling awareness of the congruent relationship between humans and animals and their significant roles in our everyday life. Visitors are welcome to put on animal-motif accessories, like hairbands, masks and tails and immerse themselves in the farm environment. The unique presentation allows guests to experience a sense of liberation and freedom of expression, defiant of our society’s norms that is often rooted on gender, age and sexual prejudices. Visitors may sing with the animals or imitate their sounds and gestures. Feeling into the skin of the animals generates a deeper introspective of animal behavior and perhaps, the ability to pro-create a “new” world where humans, animals and other living things can co-exist more harmoniously.

Saeborg Enchanted Animals, 2024 installation view, Kurobe City Art Museum, Photo: Ryohei Yanagihara

Entering the exhibition space, one is astounded by a giant latex pig in a partial installation of Pigpen. The artist describes it as Mother Pig’s Affectionate Gaze. In the known performance, which can be watched in a video clip, the pig gives birth to countless human-sized piglets. The pigs are crossbred, expounding on issues of gender and artificially controlled processes of animal husbandry. A metaphor seems to illuminate female bodies’ lone function as nests for production. Pigpen was first introduced in 2016 and has since toured in Tasmania and Greece.

Saeborg Enchanted Animals, 2024 installation view, Kurobe City Museum of Art, Photo: Ryohei Yanagihara

For the eye-catching Pootopia, also a partial installation, Saeborg emphasizes the sub-culture of “kimo-kawaii” — where technicolor latex beetles (in the actual show), both frightening and cute, lounge around around a mountain of poo, symbolizing a queer club scene in Tokyo, and transform themselves into other unexpected bodily forms. The “dung beetle paradise” highlights the insects eating and reforming waste.