Hirofumi Yugen is an artist currently based in Hiroshima and the formal expression in his works is continuously concentrating on “food” as a fundamental human desire.

Yugen's work is characterized by a form that gives a visual sensation, and includes elements embodying emotions such as fear and unease, while at first glance being pop art. In the KFC series, including the representative work “Skeleton” (2009), the bones of KFC chicken that he first ate himself were washed cleanly and transformed into a miniature human skeleton, ironically reminding us on our role as consumers. Many of the works are made from the remains of life eaten by humans, such as animal bones, egg shells, and photos of leftover food. In the midst of mass production and mass consumption, he visualizes the forms of life that became difficult to see.

The title of the solo exhibition held by Yugen in 2013, “The first meal is the beginning of death” is an analogy of the English theologian Thomas Fullers´ quote “The first breath is the beginning of death.” It suggests that the energy to survive by eating and the energy to death are absurdly the same. Yugen's work encourages this irreversible rule and makes reference to our daily actions of “eating” and “living”.