Kawaii, Fetish, Bizarre, Cruel: The Art Of GENk

The fearful is beautiful, the horrific is erotic. Both kawaii and fear coexist in his paintings. The adorable and the strange based on bloody fantasy and insanity with a tinge of the occult. Even in his most intensely individual works, many people have been charmed by the alluring gazes of the girls in his paintings and by his beautiful expressions of blood. Combining elements of the kawaii, the fetish, the erotic and the cruel, GENk’s paintings are both visually arresting and alluring, disturbing and enticing.

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“My point of origin, when I first decided I wanted to become an artist was when I saw the work of a creator, no longer alive now, by the name of Yasushi Nirasawa. He made creatures. Their faces are human, but their bodies are heavily surrounded by exoskeletons. His work looks a bit like American comics. That was his style. So, when I saw his work, I thought this was someone with an amazing art style that goes beyond [anything] Japanese [artists have done before.] And that’s when I started painting, imitating his style. Then, after some time, I found out about Trevor Brown. When I saw his work, I realized that his kind of art was exactly what I was seeking for myself as a painter. After that, I decided I wanted to establish my own style fusing the kawaii, fetish, erotic and cruel within my art,” artist told Grapee.

“Well, for me, words are important. I don’t think I need them to explain each work, but I do think my paintings need hints. So, for example, this painting here, with the separated head, has a title which I think is really easy to understand. I call it “Fanatical Fanatic.” This girl always puts on a calm and composed façade but inside, she has feelings on the brink of overflowing, feelings of passion and uncontrollable love! Those feelings explode and gush out! That’s what this painting is about. I think the painting itself already expresses that idea but adding this kind of play on words as a title is fun… I can enjoy deciding on titles for my works. I place importance on such titles because they offer something interesting which is independent from the work itself,”he added.