Japan
Kobe
2022
17
Japanese
Japanese, English
In a nutshell
The exhibition Forward to the Past: Yokoo Tadanori’s Road to Hanshan and Shide presents artist Yokoo Tadanori’s compelling new paintings, inspired by the Tang-dynasty (618-907 CE) Zen monks Hanshan and Shide, alongside key works from his extensive artistic journey. Responding to the profound global shifts beginning in 2020, Yokoo retreated to his studio, developing his “moro-tai” (obscure style) to portray Hanshan and Shide, celebrated for their tousled hair, ragged clothes, and hearty laughter. This collection reveals how an artist’s personal introspection during times of societal change can lead to an unexpected connection with historical figures and artistic renewal, inviting visitors to consider the enduring power of creative resilience across ages.
Why should you watch this?
The film Forward to the Past: Yokoo Tadanori’s Road to Hanshan and Shide is timely because it shows how an artist’s practice can turn isolation into a public language of resilience and wit. Yokoo’s loose moro-tai brushwork reimagines Tang-era misfits as companions for our own fraught moment—ragged clothes and hearty laughter become forms of resistance. A trembling contour that bursts into a grin, or a pale wash that reads like a private confession, mixes unease with solace. The experience challenges and comforts in equal measure, leaving a simple charge: art can hold loss, reopen stories, and invite renewed care for one another.
Curator
Naoko Ono
Bio
Naoko Ono is a curator at the Yokoo Tadanori Museum of Contemporary Art. She has collaborated with the museum’s archival and curatorial teams to bring lesser-seen works of Tadanori Yokoo to light, including drawings, preparatory sketches, and personal materials. Ono contributes to thematic exhibitions that emphasize overlooked moments in Yokoo’s long career, offering fresh perspectives on his creative process.
Artist
Tadanori Yokoo
Bio
Tadanori Yokoo (born 1936 in Nishiwaki, Hyogo, Japan) is a celebrated Japanese graphic designer, illustrator, printmaker, and painter, widely recognized as one of Japan’s most influential contemporary artists. After a successful career in graphic design in the 1960s and 70s, where he gained international acclaim for his psychedelic, pop art-infused posters and album covers, he shifted his focus to painting in 1981. Yokoo’s work is characterized by its vibrant colors, intricate collages, and a unique blend of Japanese tradition with Western influences, often exploring themes of mysticism, the subconscious, and the human condition. His diverse career and unconventional approach have left an indelible mark on both Japanese and international art.