100年｜ Hyakunen
偽古典主義

MEDEL GALLERY SHU is pleased to present Pseudo-Classicism, a solo exhibition by Hyakunen, on view from August 29 to September 10, 2025.

Hyakunen’ work reveals a unique worldview—one that lies hidden beneath the surface of everyday society, like a potent dose of poison or narcotics that stands in contrast to the notion of “cuteness” often associated with the artist’s work. It’s this alluring and addictive quality that captivates the viewer, striking with themes and concepts that evoke a precarious intensity not seen before.

After taking a two-year hiatus from creating new work, 100 Years returns to their personal “classics”—that is, the things they have always loved and been drawn to—and attempts to break through their own creative limitations. This exhibition represents a bold, renewed challenge into the unknown. We invite you to experience this transformative journey firsthand.

The impulse to revisit classical methods is not unique to the art world—it recurs across various cultural movements. In this exhibition, I sought to return to what feels like my own personal “classics” as a way to better understand where I currently stand and what truly draws me in. Though I’ve primarily worked in digital illustration, this time I’ve chosen oil painting—one of the most traditional media—as a deliberate return to form.

For the past two years, I found myself unable to create much at all. I spent a long time reflecting: What kind of work could genuinely move me again? What would be worth pursuing with conviction?

That process involved confronting and breaking the restrictions I had unknowingly imposed on myself. In order to break free from my fixed ways of thinking and ingrained values, I needed to either spark something radically new or resurrect something long-forgotten—my own kind of classic. That’s why, for this exhibition, I made a conscious effort to revisit the things I’ve always quietly loved, the elements that have consistently drawn me in, and use them as a foundation to break through my limitations.

This act of revival is not driven by nostalgia or a belief that “things were better back then.” Rather, it’s an attempt to move forward—an effort to escape a sense of creative stagnation. I undertook this deeply personal revival with the hope of shifting my own trajectory, but whether it amounts to genuine progress or merely a nostalgic retreat born of a dead-end imagination remains unclear.

Will this attempt be worthy of being called Classicism, or will it merely amount to a false movement—a kind of pseudo-Classicism? That remains to be seen.

It’s not for me to decide. Just as history is written by those who come later, so too will the value of this work be determined by others—perhaps by you, the viewer. But regardless of whether this endeavor is seen as genuine or false, noble or flawed, I believe in the value of having made the attempt.

— Hyakunen