One of the legends of the rich tradition of Japanese psychedelia, Keiichi Tanaami continues a prolific career in contemporary art with great success and major exhibitions, and in the past decade alone, has gained increased notoriety with younger audiences. Much of that attention can be linked to NANZUKA Underground's inventive programming and curation, a mix of Japanese underground icons and emerging artists from around the world. Through August 8, NANZUKA presents Memorial Reconstruction, a large scale exhibition of new paintings and three-dimensional works by Tanaami.
NANZUKA has noted that Tanaami's works could be interpreted as pop versions of the Yokai-ga traditional paintings of supernatural monsters, spirits, and demons in Japanese folklore, but this particular show is based on the artist's own memories and dreams of experiencing the war as a child. Importantly, this lends context to a widespread and longstanding career. Tanaami, born in 1936, has been an active graphic designer, filmmaker, and artist since the 1960s, as documented in early films shown at the Juxtapoz Clubhouse in 2018 with NANZUKA. As the gallery points out, "The reason why Tanaami's work has been re-recognized in recent years as being extremely important in the context of art discourse, is not limited to the pop art nature of his work in which he uses distinctive comic-style depictions as a weapon for expression. It is because Tanaami’s works, whether they are personally produced or a commercial work for magazines or posters, all paint a picture of the social and cultural history of the postwar world with Japan as a filter.”
This stunning showcase is highly personal but also an amalgamation of the many facets of Tanaami's career. Like Peter Saul in America, Tanaami spans generations and keeps re-energizing his own practice by engaging with evolving iconography and histories. A must-see if you can make an appointment in Tokyo! —Evan Pricco
