Machine No. 6
- Artist: Shinkichi Tajiri
- Date: 1967
- Medium: Aluminium, brass, steel and fibreglass
- Dimensions: object: 3200 × 1570 × 2700 mm
- Museum: Tate Modern
- Collection record: Tate Modern website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is the “Machine No. 6” by Shinkichi Tajiri. Created in 1967, it’s a towering, freestanding metal sculpture that looks like a three‑legged robotic dog, complete with gun‑like weapons jutting from a sleek, silver‑coloured shell. Most of the body and head are clad in polished metal panels, while engine parts and armaments protrude, giving it an almost mechanical beast feel.
Tajiri produced ten of these “machine” pieces between 1965 and 1968, and at the time they were the biggest works he’d made. They extend his long‑running engagement with the theme of war, reflecting on his own experience as a soldier and the horrors of conflict. The title, simply “Machine” followed by a number, was intended to de‑humanise the form, highlighting the cold, technological nature of modern weaponry. The piece invites viewers to confront the spectacle of war’s machinery, turning a potential celebration of firepower into a stark critique.
See it in person
Machine No. 6 is in the collection of Tate Modern on Bankside, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
