G3-Vol.167 Dolly（ ） Genki Isayama
Kumamoto's Contemporary Art Museum hosts Genki Isayama's solo exhibition on Dolly the cloned sheep, exploring reproduction technology and ethics.Summary
The Kumamoto Art Museum's Gallery III presents "G3-Vol.167 Dolly（ ）," a solo exhibition by Genki Isayama (b. 1987, based in Hiroshima), running from October 31 to December 27, 2026, with free admission.
Isayama has long explored the theme of "replication and collapse," critiquing mass production, standardization, and exchangeability brought by modern rationalization through video and sculptural works. His work often features clay objects replicated from molds collapsing in water, presented without editing.
Isayama's inquiry led him to Dolly, the sheep cloned in 1996, the first mammal cloned from an adult cell. While Dolly's creation raised ethical concerns, it also opened doors to regenerative medicine. Marking 30 years since Dolly's birth, the exhibition reconsiders the ethical and social implications of life replication technology and objectification.
In an accompanying text, Isayama reflects on the fear of human "objectification" depicted in Osamu Tezuka's manga "Phoenix: Life Edition," which he read around Dolly's birth. He states that the being itself bears no sin, and he wants to simply say "congratulations" to Dolly.
The exhibition also includes works from his series "Dolly" shown previously at hakari contemporary in Kyoto in 2024. Isayama's works are held in collections including the Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art and the Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College. He received the VOCA Encouragement Prize in 2025 and the Hiroshima Cultural Newcomer Award in 2021.
(Source：ART iT)