Techotic

Japanese artist Tenmyouya Hisashi’s painting of Gundam “RX-78-2 Kabuki-mono 2005 Version” was sold for HK$4.8 million (approx. $600,000 USD) at a Christie’s auction in Hong Kong. I’d rather spend that amount of money getting someone to build one for me, but each to his own.

this is what Hisashi said about his work:

I produced this painting for the exhibition, “GUNDAM: Generating Futures,” which was held at the Suntory Museum from July 15 to August 31, 2005. The work was later exhibited at the Ueno Royal Museum and other venues. In Japan there are many “Gundam-Otaku’s,” and their adoration of Gundam is intense. Therefore, I did not want to change their image of Gundam. By changing Gundam’s “mobile suit” to tattoos, I altered his body, and made him even more customized. I emphasized the very concept of the “mobile suit,” and by setting Gundam against a background of gold leaf from traditional Japanese painting, I emphasized Gundam’s samurai origins.

[via Hisashi]