Yutanpo Shirane "Yuroom History"

Gallery Speak For

Finished

Artists

Yutanpo Shirane

Although his work inherits the spirit of good ol' fashioned American comics, Shirane also uses painterly approaches, pop iconography, a unique sense of humor and irony, which places him within the context of Japan's "nuri comic" tradition. Since the early 1990s, when he made his impressive debut, Shirane has done much to widen the scope of comics and illustration. He shun digital equipment, doing everything by hand. His work is clearly distinguished from European and American sensibilities, featuring a dry Japanese sort of humor as well as an occasional strong sense of Surrealism that recalls contemporary art. Shirane has provided much stimulation not just to readers of magazines and books, but also influential editors and art directors. It would not be too much of an overstatement to claim that Shirane's illustrations have often been direct catalysts for change in the evolution of Tokyo culture. Recently, he has been steadily expanding his fan base, creating CD covers and DVD jackets for artists like the Magokoro Brothers and Rip Slyme.

This exhibition was organized in an attempt to trace Shirane's career in various Tokyo creative fields from his debut right up to the present. On display are a number of rare works that won the 10th The Choice Award, colorful canvas paintings that have been exhibited at several solo and group shows, collages and 3D works.

This is the first installment in a new "History" series of exhibitions organized by Speak For that hopes to revitalize the art market.

Gallery talk on the first day: November 13th (Fri) 19:00 (until 19:30)
Free entry, reservation not required
With host Jun Tsuzuki

Schedule

Nov 13 (Fri) 2009-Nov 25 (Wed) 2009