Akira the Hustler
Japanese artist (born 1969)
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Yukio Cho (Japanese: 張 由紀夫, Hepburn: Chō Yukio; born 1969), known professionally as Akira the Hustler (ハスラーアキラ, Hasurā Akira), is a Japanese artist, writer, actor, activist, and former sex worker.
1969 (age 56–57)
Akira the Hustler | |
|---|---|
ハスラーアキラ | |
| Born | Yukio Cho (張 由紀夫) 1969 (age 56–57) Tokyo, Japan |
| Education | Kyoto City University of Arts |
Biography
Yukio Cho was born in 1969 in Tokyo, Japan.[1] He grew up in Germany, living there from age two until age eight after his father moved to the country for work, before his family resettled in Kobe.[2] He studied oil painting at the Kyoto City University of Arts, earning a bachelor's degree in 1992 and a master's degree in 1995.[1] As a university student, Cho became involved with campaigns to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS in Japan, and to reduce stigma against those with the disease.[2]
He took the pseudonym "Akira" while working as a call boy for an escort agency while living in Kyoto.[3] He would later return to Tokyo to work as an escort independently, advertising his services through gay men's magazines; he would later write a column for G-men, one of the most notable gay magazines in Japan in the late 1990s.[3] Along with BuBu de la Madeleine (formerly BuBu the Whore) and Mikado the Dominatrix, Akira the Hustler was a founding member of the Biters,[a] a performance art group whose members were both artists and sex workers.[4] The group's exhibition Donai yanen (lit. "So What"), which was inspired by their experiences in the sex industry, was shown at the École des Beaux-Arts in 1998,[1] Ota Fine Arts in 1999, and the Watari Museum of Contemporary Art in 2000.[4] His autobiography A Whore Diary, which chronicles several of his encounters with his clients, was published by Isshi Press in 2000.[5]
In 2003, he helped found the Akta Community Centre, a sexual health clinic and counseling center in Shinjuku Ni-chōme.[6] He served as its director until 2011.[2][7]
Works
Akira the Hustler works in multiple mediums, including performance, photography, video, sculpture, and painting.[8] His works often deal with themes of self-identity and social issues, such as LGBT rights, HIV/AIDS, and racism,[9] typically using outwardly bright and cheerful imagery to convey a more serious message.[10] He has become an outspoken critic of nuclearization following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, with anti-nuclearization becoming a prominent subject of his work and activism.[2][9]
Exhibitions
Solo exhibitions
- 2000: Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo, Japan – "Akira the Hustler"[1]
- 2001: Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo, Japan – "Akira the Hustler"[1]
- 2004: Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo, Japan – "Akira the Hustler"[1]
- 2008: Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo, Japan – "Living Together"[1]
- 2012: Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo, Japan – "Ordinary Life"[11]
- 2013: Tac's Knot, Tokyo, Japan – "Let's go to the river"[1]
Group exhibitions
- 1998: École des Beaux-Arts, Paris, France – "Donai yanen"[1]
- 1999: Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo, Japan – "Whores on Holidays"[1]
- 2000: Watari Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan – "Game Over"[1]
- 2001: Watari Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan – "Art One Day Elementary School"[1]
- 2001: Lydmar Hotel, Stockholm, Sweden – "Tokyo Style"[1]
- 2002: Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, Germany – "In Transit" (performance)[1]
- 2003: Kunst Werk, Berlin, Germany – "Suddenly Inclusive" (performance)[1]
- 2003: Tokyo International Forum, Tokyo, Japan – "Tokyo Art Jungle" (performance)[1]
- 2004: Maison Folie de Wazemmes, Lille, France – "Akimahen"[1]
- 2005: Tikotin Museum of Japanese Art, Haifa, Israel – "PostGender: Gender Identity, Performativity and Sexuality in Japanese Culture"[1]
- 2006: Art Tower Mito, Mito, Japan – "Life"[1]
- 2007: Yvon Lambert Gallery, Avignon, France – "J'embrasse pas"[1]
- 2009: Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo, Japan – "SLOGAN"[12]
- 2010: Tokyo Photographic Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan – "Love's Body-art in the age of AIDS"[1]
- 2010: Art Tower Mito, Mito, Japan – "Café in Mito 2011"[1]
- 2016: Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo, Japan – "primal lines"[1]
- 2017: Reborn Art Festival 2017, Onagawa, Japan[1]
- 2018: Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo, Japan – "Be there"[13]
- 2019: Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo, Japan – "Welcome to the Parade"[14][10]
Public collections
- Yvon Lambert Gallery, Avignon, France[1]
- Watari Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan[1]
Filmography
- I.K.U., 2001 (actor)
- Hush!, 2001 (actor)
- Naughty Boys, 2002 (actor)
- Queer Boys and Girls on the Shinkansen, 2004 (writer and director, "Bye-Bye 'Over the Rainbow'" segment)[15]
- First Love, 2008 (actor)
Further reading
- Akira the Hustler (2000). 売男日記 [A Whore Diary] (in Japanese). Isshi Press. ISBN 9784900398351.