When it comes to performance art, some artists push boundaries with paint, others with their bodies, but one Japanese artist took things to an entirely different level by literally serving pieces of himself to paying customers.
Meet Mao Sugiyama, the 22-year-old artist who gave new meaning to the phrase “putting yourself into your work” when he surgically removed his own gęnitals and served them as a gourmet meal to five strangers who each paid $250 for the privilege.
The unusual culinary event took place in May at an event hall in Tokyo, but the preparation began months earlier.
Just days after his 22nd birthday in March, Sugiyama had his pęnis and testiclęs surgically removed and kept frozen for two months while he planned the ultimate artistic statement.
Why would someone take such a dramatic step? Sugiyama reportedly used the exhibition to demonstrate that he doesn’t affiliate with either gender, according to the Huffington Post.
From Twitter Offer to Sold-Out Event
What started as a shoċking Twitter proposal quickly snowballed into one of the most talked-about performance art pieces in recent Japanese history.
“[Please retweet] I am offering my male gęnitals (full pęnis, testęs, scrotum) as a meal for 100,000 yen,” Sugiyama announced on Twitter in mid-April.
“Will prepare and cook as the buyer requests, at his chosen location.”
The artist initially planned to sell his prepared gęnitals to just one person for approximately $1,250, but the post generated so much interest that Sugiyama organized a public banquet instead, cleverly named “Ham Cybele – Century Banquet.”
The name itself is a play on words – “Century” in Japanese sounds like the Japanese word for “gęnitals,” while “Ham Cybele” references the Anatolian mother goddess and creates initials matching Sugiyama’s artist name, HC.
Five Brave Diners Pay $250 Each
The exclusive dinner was held at the “Asagaya Loft A” event space in Tokyo’s Suginami Ward, where five adventurous diners gathered for this once-in-a-lifetime meal.
According to CalorieLab, the diners included a 32-year-old male manga artist, a 30-year-old white-collar couple, a 22-year-old woman, and 29-year-old event planner Shigenobu Matsuzawa.
“It’s a once in a lifetime chance, so I decided on the spur of the moment to do it,” Matsuzawa tweeted before the event.
The meal itself was presented with culinary flair – Sugiyama’s severed pęnis shaft, testiclęs, and scrotal skin were seasoned, braised, and garnished with button mushrooms and Italian parsley.
Each diner had to sign a waiver releasing Sugiyama and the event organizers from any liability that might arise from the consumption of human gęnitals.
Legal in Japan, But Never to Be Repeated
Perhaps surprisingly, Japanese authorities allowed the event to proceed, as there are no laws prohibiting cannibālism in Japan.
The performance sparked intense debate about the boundaries of art and bodily autonomy.
After the event gained international attention, Sugiyama responded to requests for encores with disappointing news for those who missed out:
“I receive questions from some women and men… asking ‘Will there be a next time? Please host it again.’ But there is only one set of male organ. Unfortunately, I have no plan for the next time.”
The event raises profound questions about the lengths artists will go to make a statement, the relationship between our bodies and our identities, and the boundaries of culinary taboōs.
Whatever your reaction to Sugiyama’s extreme performance piece – disgust, fascination, or bewilderment – one thing is certain: this is one artistic dinner party that won’t soon be forgotten by those who attended or by the art world at large.
Editor’s Note: This article was sourced from various reports including Twitter posts by Mao Sugiyama, the Huffington Post, IOL News, and CalorieLab.