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"Froth" by Hideaki Kawashima |
 By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
Two leading Japanese pop artists, Tadanori Yokoo and Hideaki Kawashima, are currently holding separate exhibitions in Seoul this month, offering a rare opportunity to examine the country's pop art by artists from distinctly different generations.
Y Junction
Yokoo, a leading artist in post-war pop culture in Japan, is currently holding his first solo exhibition in Seoul, ``Y Junction,'' at Arario Gallery. It features five screen prints of Yokoo's visually arresting posters from the 1960s and 15 oil paintings from his latest ``Y- Junction Series.''
Takayo Iida, independent curator, said the exhibition ``reevaluates the cultural-historical narrative shared between Korea and Japan,'' and hopes this will spark active critical discussions.
``As a leading flagman of the post-war pop culture in Japan whose influence continues onto today, Yokoo's origin of creativity and his zeitgeist formed within the timeframe of post-war Japan's diastrophism is put into context via 2009 through this exhibition,'' Iida wrote in an exhibition essay.
The 73-year-old Yokoo got his start working as a stage designer in Tokyo's theater industry, and quickly rose to become a leading figure in the underground culture. He created graphic posters that reflect turbulent times and the prevalent feelings of ``hope, desperation, and anxiety'' in the 1960s.
``The old system was beginning to tear itself down and something new was slowly coming out of it, through the process of destruction and creation, becoming one. The feeling I get nowadays is much less hopeful, just anxious. It is clouded with nihilism and despair. In the 60s through the 70s, (the) future seemed rosy. Afterwards, there was only the reality. Until we faced this reality, every single artist came together on his or her own solitude, through underground networks, connected, gathered, and produced such vibrant synergy,'' Yokoo was quoted as saying by the gallery.
Yokoo attracted international attention when his posters were shown at the group exhibition ``Words and Images'' at New York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in 1968. Soon, his posters were exhibited around the world, and he even designed album art for Santana's ``Lotus'' in 1974 and the Beatles' ``Star Club'' in 1977.
In the early 1980s, Yokoo began focusing on paintings. The ``Y-Junction'' series features a house, or building, in the middle of a forked road, with artificial lighting that creates an air of mystery. Some have interpreted the Y-shape of the road as a symbolic allusion to the artist.
The ``Y Junction'' exhibition runs through April 12. Visit www.arariogallery.com.
Wandering
Kawashima, a Neo-Pop artist, is holding solo exhibition ``Wandering'' at the Kukje Gallery. The title ``Wandering'' reveals the artist's philosophy about his art. He does not plan his paintings ahead of time. Instead, he uses his intuition when painting, and applies the paint directly onto the canvas.
For four months, Kawashima lived in Seoul during which he made 14 new paintings, which are being shown for the first time in the exhibition. Also included are 21 works he originally made in Japan.
``Although he is often grouped together with Neo-Pop artists such as Takashi Murakami and Yoshitomo Nara, Kawashima's work is distinct from other practitioners of that style, in that he does not appropriate iconography from popular culture. Instead, the artist has created his own personal vocabulary that includes a singular ghost-like visage with exaggerated eyes and no body,'' the gallery said, in a statement.
Kawashima's paintings feature ghostly female faces with barely discernible noses and mouths, but unusually huge eyes that seem to gaze back at the viewer. Pale shades of green, orange, pink and purple are used to express an otherworldly atmosphere in the paintings.
``In contrast to the expressiveness of the eyes, the pale face of his subject evokes the makeup worn by actors in Kabuki theater in order to mask their identity. The influence of Kawashima's mentor, Nara, is readily apparent in these works ― the air of mystery surrounding his signature characters powerfully engages the viewer,'' Kukje Gallery said.
Born in Aichi, Japan, in 1969, Kawashima studied painting at Tokyo Zokei University. He once spent two years training at Hieizen Enryakuji, a historic temple outside Kyoto, but instead of becoming a monk, he returned home to concentrate on art.
Kawashima's exhibition runs through March 29. Visit www.kukjegallery.com.
cathy@koreatimes.co.kr
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경찰, 이태원 등 외국인 밀집지역 특별관리
