Japan
Kobe
2021
13
Japanese
Japanese, English
In a nutshell
The Yokoo Tadanori Collection Gallery presents a comprehensive view of the artistic world and deep influences shaping the practice of Japanese artist Yokoo Tadanori. This permanent space, established in 2021 within the Yokoo Tadanori Museum of Contemporary Art in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, displays his original drawings, color proofs, and project designs. The collection offers insight into the cultural and historical contexts that fed Yokoo’s aesthetic, illuminating the wider network of artistic references he engaged with. Visitors can study archive materials and works by figures he admired, such as Francis Picabia and Giorgio de Chirico, revealing the sources that informed his output. The gallery ultimately encourages visitors to recognize the enduring dialogue between personal vision and international creative lineage that defines lasting contemporary art.
Why should you watch this?
The Yokoo Tadanori Collection Gallery reveals the surprising connections between Yokoo’s imaginative designs and the works of artists he admired, such as Picabia and de Chirico, showing how ideas travel across time and place. Scenes capturing his bold color proofs alongside delicate sketches create moments of both delight and contemplation, exposing the processes behind visual invention. By following the intersections of personal creativity and broader artistic currents, the film invites viewers to experience the thrill of discovery and recognize how enduring inspiration emerges from unexpected juxtapositions, offering a vivid reminder of the vitality of art across generations.
Curators
Yu Hayashi
Bio
Yu Hayashi is a Japanese curator at the Yokoo Tadanori Museum of Contemporary Art, known for his work on exhibitions dedicated to Tadanori Yokoo, the celebrated graphic designer and painter. Hayashi has edited several exhibition catalogs that explore Yokoo’s distinctive blend of psychedelic, Pop Art-inspired imagery with traditional Japanese aesthetics.
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.
Megumi Hirabayashi
Bio
Megumi Hirabayashi is curator at the Yokoo Tadanori Museum of Contemporary Art, Kobe. She previously worked at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, and with Gifu Prefectural Museum Hida. Hirabayashi plays a central role in managing Yokoo’s archives, selecting both finished and in-process works for exhibition, and she champions displays that reveal not only Yokoo’s iconic finished pieces but also his sketches, idea notebooks, and lesser-seen creative material.
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.