Beyonce accused of ripping off Japanese artist Hajime Sorayama’s space-age costumes from Renaissance Tour in scathing Instagram post
Beyoncé was accused of stealing some of the most striking designs from her blockbuster Renaissance Tour in a social media post on Monday.
Japanese artist Hajime Sorayama claimed on Instagram that the 42-year-old hitmaker – whose concert film tumbled at the box office in its second weekend – stole some of his designs for a metal suit and helmet she wore during recent tour stops.
He shared photos from her concerts showing her in a glittering silver helmet with antenna-like spikes sticking out over her ears, along with illustrations the 76-year-old artist had previously created.
Reminiscent of classic science fiction drawings from the mid-20th century, Sorayama’s illustrations showed women dressed in silver suits and similar helmets with a nearly identical needle-like tip protruding from the ears.
However, the artist was criticized in the comments by BeyHive members, with some pointing out that his own designs seemed to be heavily inspired by previous conceptual science fiction artworks, which could also have inspired Beyoncé.
Japanese illustrator Hajime Sorayama accused Beyoncé, 42, of stealing his designs in an Instagram post Monday; she is depicted in one of the offensive costumes on the artwork for her single My House
Sorayama, 76, wrote that Beyoncé should have ‘officially’ asked me to use his designs. He added that he could have made her “much better work” and referenced his collaborations with The Weeknd
“Yo @beyonce. You should have asked me ‘officially’ so I could make much better work for you, just like my husband @theweekend,” Sorayama captioned his Instagram post.
He had previously collaborated with The Weeknd to design a new cover for the 10th anniversary reissue of his 2011 mixtape Echoes Of Silence. The new cover featured a silver android figure in profile with its neck tilted back curved, although the figure appeared completely robotic, unlike some of the other designs he shared on Monday featuring human female faces.
To make his point, Sorayama included a photo of the huge video screen at one of Beyoncé’s concerts showing her in close-up.
Her monumental face was surrounded by a slender helmet with a sloping hairline and bell-shaped cups over her ears, including the metal spikes protruding from them like the figures in Sorayama’s artwork.
She also had a statement piece of jewelry dangling from her lower lip.
Beyonce appeared to wear a similar look — without the lip decoration — for the artwork of her single My House, which is featured in the end credits of her Renaissance Tour concert film.
A follow-up photo showed a close-up of a gray T-shirt believed to have been sold at one of Beyoncé’s shows.
That particular design doesn’t appear to be available on the Break My Soul singer’s website at the moment, but other similar designs featuring the same costume can be purchased for around $60.
The shirt photo was crucial because it implied that Beyoncé had not only appropriated Sorayama’s artwork, but that she would also be making money off his designs through her merchandise.
Sorayama has been active in creating science fiction-inspired designs since the early 1970s. He started creating erotic humanoid robot illustrations in 1983; seen in 2018 in Tokyo
To further his point, Sorayama included a photo of the huge video screen at one of Beyoncé’s concerts showing her in close-up
A follow-up photo showed a close-up of a gray T-shirt believed to have been sold at one of Beyoncé’s shows. He added one of his designs, which had similar pinnae and antenna-like points on the sides of the head
Not all of Sorayama’s designs match Beyoncé’s costume, including one of his designs with more elfin metal ears
In addition to his illustrations, Sorayama has created installations of his erotic figures and collaborated on a statue and album cover with The Weeknd; his installation Sexy Robot Floating pictured in Tokyo in 2020
The post also put an end to fans’ assumptions that the singer-songwriter had collaborated with Sorayama, or at least received permission to use his designs.
However, it was unclear from his short caption whether he intended to take legal action against her, or whether he simply wanted to express himself online.
While Beyoncé’s costume bore strong similarities to some of the designs Sorayama shared, not all of them matched her look.
For example, one illustration he posed showed a robot woman with a front piece and pointy, fairy-tale metal ears, instead of the striking spikes worn by Beyoncé, which were similar to some of his other illustrations.
Some of her overzealous fans began insulting the iconic artist in the comments, but others voiced more substantive criticism, noting that Beyoncé could have been influenced by other artwork from the Golden Age of Science Fiction.
The period, loosely defined from the 1920s to the 1950s, featured classic science fiction stories that focused more on adventure and exploration than scientifically accurate detail, and many artists of the period depicted exotic worlds and beautiful women in need of saving by attractive space travelers.
Some of those women were pictured in fantastic spacesuits that resembled Beyoncé’s look.
But the metal design is also somewhat reminiscent of the Maschinenmensch (German for ‘machine-man’) from Fritz Lang’s classic 1922 silent science fiction epic Metropolis.
The robot is given the proportions of a woman, although it is later covered with skin that allows it to masquerade as a human woman.
The iconic design has been widely copied in the world of science fiction and has inspired countless future designs from later in the 20th century and beyond.
Images from Metropolis appear to have been a major inspiration for the conceptual artwork that led to 1977’s Star Wars, and the golden droid C-3PO was inspired by the Maschinenmensch from Metropolis.
“As if you didn’t take direct inspiration from Metropolis?” read an accusatory comment directed at Sorayama.
“Quick unfollow, he stole the idea and then try to drag mom away? The NERVE,” wrote one particularly dramatic Beyoncé fan.
Beyoncé’s avid fans defended her in his comments, with several saying Beyoncé could have been inspired by older sources, including the 1922 German silent epic Metropolis (pictured)
The iconic science fiction film features a highly influential robot with feminine proportions. It has inspired countless robots and androids over the past century, including Star Wars’ C-3PO
“You’re the director of Metropolis Film (1927)?…” another fan joked.
Others pointed out that Beyoncé had worn designs by the late Thierry Mugler that were inspired by Metropolis, suggesting that the inspirations were more diffuse than Sorayama indicated.
Others claimed that Sorayama “didn’t own” the robotic “hyper femme” designs he was known for.
So far, Beyoncé has not responded to the artists’ complaints. It is also unclear whether she was personally involved in creating or selecting the design that Sorayama objected to, or whether one of her stylists or designers created the look.