INDEX
Hajime Sorayama’s Vision of the Future Body Through Motoko Kusanagi
Now, for a typical anime original artwork exhibition, this would be where the viewing report ends. However, this exhibition has another major pillar: a display of collaborative artworks by artists overflowing with love for the work, inspired by the world of ‘Ghost in the Shell’.
Among all the works on display, one piece stands out with overwhelming presence: Sexy Robot_The Ghost in the Shell type1, a brand new sculpture by contemporary artist Hajime Sorayama, unveiled to the public for the first time anywhere in the world. Conceived around the idea of the “future body,” the work takes Motoko Kusanagi, the protagonist of Ghost in the Shell, as its model.
Since the 1970s, Sorayama has been known for depicting female robotic figures, relentlessly exploring the boundary and aesthetics between the human body and machinery. He is also widely recognized for his work beyond the fine art world, including album artwork for Aerosmith and the design of the robotic dog AIBO. Sorayama is said to have shared a long standing personal exchange of letters with Ghost in the Shell creator Masamune Shirow, and he is also involved in the upcoming 2026 animated project, contributing to its title logo design.
The lustrous body, created using materials such as aluminum, ABS resin, and silver mirror coating, is dazzling to behold. Its metallic skin, wrapped in intense reflections, evokes a strange sensation of presence and distance at once, undeniably there yet seemingly untouchable. There is a kind of divinity born from the unknown, while at the same time the limbs, drawn in undeniably ideal curves, are unmistakably erotic.
It leaves one feeling slightly awkward, as if gazing at a sacred statue with an indecent eye. Yet Sorayama once remarked in an old interview that “those who inspire awe are sexy,” which suggests that this conflicted sensation may be precisely what the artist intended.
