[Image: Tadanori Yokoo "2022-07-04" (2022) Artist's Collection]

[Image: Tadanori Yokoo "2021-09-03" (2021) Artist's Collection]

[Image: Tadanori Yokoo "2022-01-06" (2022) Artist's Collection]

[Image: Tadanori Yokoo "2022-01-30" (2022) Artist's Collection]

[Image: Tadanori Yokoo "2022-05-01" (2022) Artist's Collection]

[Image: Tadanori Yokoo "2022-12-12" (2022) Artist's Collection]

[Image: Tadanori Yokoo "2023-01-14" (2023) Artist's Collection]

China's Hanshan and Shide lived during the Tang Dynasty. They detached themselves from the secular world, indulging in poetry while wearing tattered clothes and engaging in eccentric behavior. However, in reality, they are said to be the embodiments of Bodhisattvas Manjusri and Samantabhadra. Like characters from a fairy tale, they have captivated many artists throughout history, inspiring them to pick up their brushes. Yokoo-san, too, was drawn to their way of being as an artist and painted a remarkable 102 pieces over about a year.

This exhibition follows the "Forward to the Past: Yokoo Tadanori's Journey to Hanshan and Shide" exhibition held at our museum in 2021. Yokoo-san's exploration, which began with a new interpretation of Shohaku Soga's work, gradually expanded into a free-spirited journey. At times, he projected the figures of Hanshan and Shide onto various images, such as the beauties of ukiyo-e, the floating lovers of White Russia, and even a group of marathon runners running together as one.

All the works on display are new and being shown for the first time at the museum. Witness Yokoo-san's continued evolution and artistic prowess, even after over 40 years in the field.

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The Yokoo Tadanori Museum of Contemporary Art was opened in November 2012 in the refurbished west wing of the Oji Branch of the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art (formerly, the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Modern Art, designed by Murano Togo). The museum’s primary objectives are to maintain the collection of works that were donated and deposited by Yokoo Tadanori, an artist born in Nishiwaki, Hyogo, and to make them widely accessible to the general public. While primarily using the collection to call attention to Yokoo’s internationally-acclaimed art both inside and outside Japan, the museum holds a diverse range of exhibitions featuring artists in a variety of fields with links to Yokoo and themes related to Yokoo’s works.

In addition to fulfilling ordinary functions such as presenting displays and conserving works, the museum contains several unique facilities. The Archive Room, for example, contains an enormous number of reference materials related to the artist and implements a variety of surveys and other research. This vast store of information reveals the secrets of Yokoo’s creations, reflects his extensive associations with many notable figures, and constitutes an invaluable resource for postwar cultural history. The Collection Gallery, newly opened in 2021, features a diverse exhibit of works by various artists that were held by Yokoo, along with archived documents. Moreover, the Open Studio presents a host of different events, including lectures, workshops, concerts, and public productions of art, aimed at all generations, from children to adults.

Tadanori Yokoo "100 Takes on Hanshan and Shide"

Artists

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Traveling exhibition schedule