An unprecedented collaboration between a luxury airline and a celebrated artist transforms the skies into the world’s largest artwork, merging futuristic artistry with aeronautical innovation

In a landmark collaboration, Taiwan-based luxury carrier STARLUX Airlines has partnered with visionary Japanese artist Hajime Sorayama to launch AIRSORAYAMA, turning two Airbus A350-1000 aircraft into flying masterpieces. This innovative project marks the first time Sorayama’s iconic metallic aesthetic has been realized on a full-scale commercial aircraft. The two AIRSORAYAMA aircraft are scheduled to enter service in Q3 2026.

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The Flying Masterpiece: The world’s largest artwork takes shape with STARLUX AIRSORAYAMA Silver and STARLUX AIRSORAYAMA Gold, two Airbus A350-1000 aircraft designed by Hajime Sorayama and envisioned as flying sculptures of the sky.

The AIRSORAYAMA collaboration was unveiled today at a launch event at Tokyo’s Omotesando Hills—an iconic fashion and design landmark—where the vision came to life in an immersive art space with digital projections extending Sorayama’s metallic aesthetic across the walls and echoing the aircraft’s liquid-metal livery. In a highlight moment, Sorayama presented STARLUX Chairman K.W. Chang with a hand-signed AIRSORAYAMA artwork, marking the project’s official launch.

“An aircraft is the ultimate mechanical structure—rational, precise, inherently cold,” said Chairman Chang. “What we sought was to bring warmth and beauty into the flying experience. Sorayama-sensei’s creations embody futurism and breathe emotion into the metal, mirroring the precision and care behind aviation itself. Together we have created something unprecedented—a flying masterpiece that carries emotions across the world.”

“These aircraft are works created jointly by Chairman Chang and me,” said Hajime Sorayama. “It is rare to meet someone who truly understands my vision. We share a rebellious spirit—never settling for the status quo, always striving to stand apart. With STARLUX’s full technical support and my insistence on aesthetics, the collaboration was powerful. Designing the Airbus A350-1000 as my canvas is a dream come true, and together we have created a truly distinctive ‘flying masterpiece’ that I hope will inspire the world.”

Where Metal and Emotion Converge

Sorayama’s work explores the relationship between metal and emotion—transforming industrial materials into expressions of humanity. This philosophy aligns seamlessly with STARLUX’s brand spirit: aircraft may be machines of metal, but they carry human longing, connection, and discovery. Technology enables flight; emotion gives the journey meaning.

Sorayama’s creative credo echoes STARLUX Airlines’ commitment to breaking away from conventional airline frameworks and embracing innovation. When STARLUX learned of Sorayama’s lifelong aspiration to create the world’s largest artwork, the decision was clear: transform the very symbol of human flight—the aircraft—into a flying masterpiece.

Inside the STARLUX AIRSORAYAMA Vision

True collaboration is like fighting side by side on a battlefield

Breaking convention, Sorayama named the project after himself, fusing “AIR” with his surname to create AIRSORAYAMA, a reflection of the deep significance he places on this partnership. He personally designed the “STARLUX AIRSORAYAMA” logo and key visual, underscoring his deep involvement. For him, a collaboration becomes meaningful only when artist and brand form a long-term creative partnership—a shared destiny rather than a one-off project.

The partnership began with a chance visit to Sorayama’s studio, where he and Chairman Chang—despite speaking different languages—immediately connected through a shared rebellious spirit and a belief in pursuing what has never been done before. A later visit to Narita Airport strengthened that bond. Watching aircraft take off and land, Chairman Chang realized that if Sorayama’s four decades of work revolve around silver and gold, then those colors should take center stage in the sky: one aircraft in silver with gold accents, the other in gold with silver—two flying masterpieces forming a dialogue in motion across the horizon.

The co-branded logo carries Hajime Sorayama’s signature surreal metallic aesthetic, transforming the “STARLUX AIRSORAYAMA” typography into a radiant, cold-metal texture. Every curve and every play of light evokes a vision of the future, lifting the mark beyond typography into a dynamic work of art defined by fluidity and mechanical tension. It is more than a reinvention of type—it is an avant-garde visual language rich in depth and futuristic expression.

The core visual combines his iconic robot with the aircraft set against a deep blue sky subtly incorporating STARLUX’s’ guiding emblem—the North Star. The “STARLUX” gold ring engraved on the robot’s leg becomes a symbolic link between Sorayama’s metallic aesthetics and the brand’s spirit. As the form soars through the clouds, refracted light adds depth and vitality. In an age of AI-generated imagery, Sorayama’s commitment to hand-drawing preserves the emotion and personal expression behind every metallic highlight.

Not Just an Aircraft, but a Skyborne Art Gallery Above the Clouds

STARLUX selected two next-generation Airbus A350-1000 aircraft as Sorayama’s new artistic medium. At 237 feet in length, each aircraft became the largest canvas of Sorayama’s six-decade career, fulfilling a dream he first envisioned 30 years ago—after seeing Jacques-Louis David’s The Coronation of Napoleon at the Louvre—to create the world’s largest artwork.

Over a three-year development process, Sorayama approached the aircraft as a sculptural form, reimagining the livery to enhance the A350-1000’s contours while meeting strict technical requirements. The project’s greatest challenge was color and finish: aviation safety requirements, carbon-fiber fuselage composition, and lightning protection constraints made mirror-like metallic finishes nearly impossible.

To achieve Sorayama’s signature cool, liquid-metal effect, STARLUX collaborated closely with Airbus and leading coatings manufacturer MANKIEWICZ. Abandoning solid color shades, they developed high-concentration special mica color shades and multi-coating techniques, successfully imparting the fuselage with the layered, fluid appearance of liquid metal. The result is a flowing, liquid-metal brilliance—without compromising safety or weight.

A Pair of Flying Sculptures and Art Beyond the Aircraft

Each aircraft features Sorayama’s iconic metallic finishes, with underbelly linework inspired by his classic “Mechanical Shark (SORAYAMA Shark)” motif—transforming the aircraft into a shark soaring through the sky. When viewed from the ground, the aircraft’s sharp, powerful lines create a striking visual impact as it ascends toward the horizon.

Individually, each stands as a complete flying masterpiece. Together, they become a pair of sculptures in motion at 30,000 feet—a traveling exhibition across the world’s skies. The AIRSORAYAMA experience will extend beyond the livery to include themed in-flight amenities, a safety video, and a series of co-branded merchandise, ensuring that the flying masterpiece experience permeates every stage of the journey.

The two aircraft are named STARLUX AIRSORAYAMA Silver (B-58553) and STARLUX AIRSORAYAMA Gold (B-58554) and are scheduled to enter service in Q3 2026.

STARLUX AIRSORAYAMA’s website is:

https://media.starlux-airlines.com/airsorayama/en

About STARLUX Airlines

Founded on the philosophy that luxury should be available to everyone, not just the elite, Taiwan-based STARLUX is a boutique international airline serving a total of 31 destinations across the US, Japan, Macau, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore. STARLUX passengers traveling between North America and Asia are able to enjoy an easy transfer in Taipei with its five US destinations: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Ontario, California, and Phoenix. Recognized globally for its excellence, STARLUX has been awarded Skytrax 5-Star Airline status, earned the APEX Five Star Global Airline Awards, and received a 7-Star PLUS Safety Rating from AirlineRatings. STARLUX prioritizes safety and offers unparalleled service with the goal of making flying a truly luxurious and unforgettable experience. For more information, visit https://www.starlux-airlines.com/en-US, or on our US social channels Facebook and Instagram.

About Hajime Sorayama, Pioneer of Hyperrealist Mechanical Aesthetics

Born in 1947, Hajime Sorayama is one of the most influential contemporary artists of our time. He pioneered Hyperrealist Robotic Aesthetics, pushing airbrush techniques to their technical limits. His works blur the boundaries between organic life and machinery, technology and emotion, capturing metallic reflections and textures with extraordinary precision and securing his indelible position in the global art world.

In 1983, Sorayama published his self-titled work, formally introducing the Sexy Robot series to the world. By integrating the beauty of the female form into robotic design, the series exerted a profound influence on the portrayal of robots in popular culture, shaping everything from the design language of Paul Verhoeven’s iconic American film RoboCop to the 1995 fashion collections of designer Thierry Mugler.

Sorayama’s influence extends across fashion, design, and luxury. In the 1990s, he contributed to the conceptual design of Sony’s robotic dog AIBO, defining its futuristic visual language. In 2019, he collaborated with Dior Men Artistic Director Kim Jones to create an 11-meter-tall robotic sculpture for Dior’s Tokyo show, and in 2025, he designed a bespoke helmet for Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton.

In music, Sorayama designed the album cover for Aerosmith’s Just Push Play and created the 10th anniversary album cover and music video for The Weeknd’s Echoes of Silence in 2011. In 2024, he collaborated on The Weeknd’s global tour, creating a monumental robotic stage installation. More recently, his cross-disciplinary work has expanded to visual collaborations for Dua Lipa’s Japan tour commemorative cover and the avant-garde girl group XG, for whom he personally designed the official logo for their single “WOKE UP.”

Sorayama’s works have been acquired into the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, the Smithsonian Institution, and M+ Museum in Hong Kong. His work has also been featured in major exhibitions worldwide, including Unorthodox at the Jewish Museum in New York, Desire in Miami, Universe and Art at the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo and the ArtScience Museum in Singapore, and Post Human, held in Los Angeles in 2024.

Beginning March 14 this year, Sorayama will present the largest retrospective of his career at CREATIVE MUSEUM TOKYO in Kyobashi, Tokyo, titled SORAYAMA: Light, Transparency, Reflection – TOKYO.

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