The Japanese artist Hajime Sorayama has criticised superstar Beyoncé in an Instagram post, claiming the musician appropriated imagery from his trademark erotic robots in visuals and merchandise for her Renaissance tour—which grossed $575m and spawned a successful documentary. Sorayama’s claims have not yet been addressed by Beyoncé or her representatives, despite having received nearly 50,000 likes and more than 3,000 comments as the time of writing.
In the Instagram post, Sorayama—whose work has been featured in group shows at Jeffrey Deitch in New York and Los Angeles, and Tokyo gallery Nanzuka, and will be the subject of an inaugural solo exhibition at the Museum of Sex’s new Miami outpost next month—draws parallels between costume and set designs from Beyoncé’s concerts, official tour merchandise, and his own retro-futurist imagery.
“I could make much better work for you,” he wrote, addressing Beyoncé, before drawing a contrast with his collaboration with musician the Weeknd, for whose recent tour he designed a towering robot centrepiece. The artist has previously collaborated on clothing and runway sculptures for high-end fashion houses including Dior, Stella McCartney and Mugler.
Beyoncé’s supporters, notorious for their spirited defence of their idol, have responded to Sorayama post dismissively and by pointing to his apparent influences, noting similarities between the artist’s robots and designs from the 1927 film Metropolis, as well as headpieces from designer Manfred Thierry Mugler.
Sorayama began making his distinctive erotic robot illustrations in the early 1980s, contributing drawings to Playboy and Penthouse magazines, among others. The artist’s design work has also received widespread recognition, most notably the first iteration of Sony’s AIBO robot dog, now included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
Regardless of Sorayama’s critique, Beyoncé has demonstrated a dedicated interest in the art world throughout her career, referencing artists as varied as Gordon Parks, Frida Kahlo, Michelangelo and René Magritte. Beyond loving reinterpretations of iconic masterpieces, the singer took over the Musée du Louvre in Paris to shoot the music video for the 2018 hit Apeshit, a collaboration with her husband Jay-Z.
