Carnal Desires is a rare exhibition of work by Sadao Hasegawa, revealing the under-recognised and largely unseen work of one of post-war Japan’s most influential gay fetish artists.
Celebrated for his depiction of hypermasculine forms, Hasegawa’s paintings blend eroticism with pan-Asian folklore, science fiction, and popular culture, imagining a universe where chiselled men encounter mythic creatures, hybrid animals, and divine bodies unbound by earthly limits. While his illustrations were originally published in gay magazines across the US, UK, and Australia, much of his work has remained virtually inaccessible outside Japan.
This is the first exhibition of Hasegawa’s work in Scotland at this scale, featuring unearthed pieces from the archives of Tokyo’s Gallery Naruyama, many of which have never before been shown in the UK. Carnal Desires invites audiences into a provocative and fantastical queer cosmos, celebrating desire in its most unrestrained form.
Carnal Desires is an Edinburgh Art Festival commission supported by Japan House London, the National Center for Art Research Japan and Art Fund. Hasegawa’s work sits within a long art-historical tradition of depicting mythic and folkloric beings, was exhibited in London last year to critical acclaim and his estate is now represented by a major New York gallery.
The exhibition carries clear content guidance and is signposted at the venue.