SATOMANIA

Pagani’s newest series adopts the form of wall-mounted assemblages, recalling the “box showcases” of Gianfranco Baruchello and the “shadow boxes” of Joseph Cornell. Continuing his engagement with everyday objects, Pagani builds these compositions around a central figure: Sato-chan, the toy elephant and mascot of Japan’s Sato Pharmaceuticals.

By removing the toy figure from its original context and repurposing it as the focal point of the assemblage, the artist builds upon the legacy of Marcel Duchamp’s “ready-mades.” Pagani also responds to the whimsical and nostalgic qualities of the plastic figurine, rendering a bespoke background for each toy that visualizes an imagined narrative—a new life, of sorts—for each character.

The doctor, tallying his patient count on a grid, references the 1968 Italian film Be Sick…It’s Free, which tells the story of a doctor working within Italy's state-provided health care system. After years of living abroad, Pagani has a newfound appreciation for the medical system in his native country. The Explorer, charting new terrain in the Himalayas, is situated within an imaginary clock, which times Sato-chan’s journey through the roughest conditions.

The baseball pitcher—an homage to Star of the Giants, a Japanese manga about a young pitcher who dreams of becoming a celebrated star like his father—is situated at home base, preparing to throw. The Nurse is set against a minimal background of sakura and characters of the word oori, an expression of gratitude often associated with good luck. While each box functions as a protective shelter for the plastic toys, they also operate as sites of fantasy—spaces in which fantasized, alternative narratives for each character may take place.