Japan
Kobe
2025
18
Japanese
Japanese, English
In a nutshell
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.
Curator
Atsuo Yamamoto
Bio
Atsuo Yamamoto is a Japanese curator and Chief Curator at the Yokoo Tadanori Museum of Contemporary Art (Y+T MOCA), Kobe. He has held curator roles previously at the Ashiya City Museum of Art & History and the Museum of Modern Art, Shiga. Yamamoto has been closely involved with the establishment of Y+T MOCA since about 2011; the museum opened in November 2012 in a renovated wing of a building originally designed by architect Tōgō Murano. Under his direction, the museum’s holdings have grown to thousands of works and materials — including hundreds of paintings, prints, posters, drawings, photographs and archival boxes — and he oversees the archival, conservation, and exhibition programs. Yamamoto is also known for his interest in post-war Japanese modernism, including the Gutai art movement. He has curated exhibitions and contributed publications about Gutai members such as Saburo Murakami.
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.