Yokoo Tadanori: State of Emergency Declaration
Japan
Kobe
2020
22
Yokoo Tadanori: State of Emergency Declaration explores the artist’s prescient depictions of tense situations where the line between fact and fiction dissolves. Long before the novel coronavirus crisis, Yokoo Tadanori repeatedly created works that now resonate with contemporary global events, reflecting a timeless human experience of uncertainty. This exhibition features his impactful paintings alongside an installation of his recent online series, With Corona, which incorporates imagery like masks in a direct artistic response to the virus. Visitors can observe how Yokoo’s vision, spanning from earlier works to current creations, challenges perceptions of reality, encouraging reflection on art’s power to interpret and shape our understanding of the world during moments of profound change.
Why should you watch this?
The film State of Emergency Declaration resonates now because it captures the unsettling feeling of living through crises that blur the edges of truth and imagination. Long before the pandemic, Yokoo Tadanori painted scenes where reality fractured under pressure, and his recent With Corona collages — filled with masks and cavernous mouths — extend that vision into our present. Confronting these images can be disquieting, even surreal, yet they also sharpen awareness of how art can mirror collective anxiety while offering a space to process it. The takeaway is stark yet universal: in uncertain times, art helps us face fear and reimagine survival.
Yokoo Tadanori’s Game of Life
Japan
Kobe
2025
18
Yokoo Tadanori’s Game of Life transforms the artist’s remarkable journey into an interactive board game, inviting visitors to experience his extensive artistic world firsthand. Born in 1936, Yokoo Tadanori has navigated a career spanning decades, marked by a philosophy that embraces destiny and chance. The exhibition explores how his art reflects life’s unpredictable path, where outcomes are often left to fate, much like reaching the “Finish” square in a game. Through this engaging format, featuring the visionary artist’s work, the exhibition encourages reflection on the interplay of choice and fortune in shaping creative expression and individual trajectories. Visitors will gain a fresh perspective on his unique artistic vision and the unpredictable nature of life itself.
Why should you watch this?
The film Yokoo Tadanori’s Game of Life feels urgent now because it frames existence as both play and chance, echoing the uncertainty of our own times. Yokoo’s use of the board game format highlights how life’s path is shaped as much by accident as by intention, a theme that resonates in an era of shifting global realities. Moving between moments of triumph, setback, and surprise, the exhibition transforms autobiography into a shared reflection on fate. The playful roll of the dice becomes a metaphor for resilience, leaving viewers with a reminder that unpredictability is not chaos but a condition of living.