Yasumasa Morimura appropriated historical works through the applications of modern technology and questioning the female gender. Morimura also has a scrutiny approach to determine if these historic masterpieces are appropriate in the period of mass media, innovating technology, mass production and growing female deliverance. As he contemplates that the “East meets west in my work, but I haven’t made an attempt to merge the two worlds. They exist in opposition” Through the utilisation of appropriation, Morimura enforces the indulgence of Japanese culture implanting the context of western artworks, questioning the assortment of eastern cultures role in a western-dominated world.
Yasumasa Morimura’s artwork Self-Portrait (Actress) After Marilyn Monroe, 1990 is a photograph where Morimura is posed as the famous actress Marilyn Monroe. The photographic reconstruction is an exploration of both the individual identity and gender of the artist. Morimura is also influenced by cultural, historical and societal issues. In Morimura’s photograph poses at the famous actress Marilyn Monroe wearing make-up and costume. He refers to the female impersonator tradition of the onnagata (female figure, in Japanese), which reminds us that his work deals with cross cultural identity as well as gender identity. His photograph is an exploration of the individual identity and gender identity as well as other