Maybe its been that we have been able to refocus over the last 7-8 weeks, but we have been doing a bit of a deep dive into some classic psychedelic work. Perhaps it was the passing of Namio Harukawa last week, but we turned to some Japanense research and came across one of our favorites from the mid-century, Go Yayanagi. From paintings, printmaking and muralism, there is an intensive influence Yayanagi has had over the last 50 years of Japanese art.
From Whitestone Gallery, who has shown Yayanagi in the past:
"After dropping out of University, Go Yayanagi moves to São Paulo (Brazil) and engages in various creative activities there. Yayanagi travels a lot around the world, then, transfers to Paris where he becomes to study under the copperplate printing’s master, S.W. Hayter. Yayanagi’s works are presented at many exhibitions, among which the 11th São Paulo Biennial (1957) is included. The Artist considers art as something that should exist in every living space casually rather than something that is prominent displayed ostentatiously. Yayanagi creates works in a wide range of formats, from oil painting, printing, mosaic mural and stained glass, to textile and fashion design. The artist successfully visualizes the social conditions of the time, combining bold composition of color planes, vivid colors produced by removing unnecessary shadows, eroticism presented in a cheerful tone, and his humor, like putting puzzle piece together. The abundant exoticism the artist experienced in his youth embraces him, and that seems to make his art borderless beyond any logic, a long way ahead of the trend of the world."
