For each piece of art, yokoo freely arranged elements such as GG patterns and the Gucci brand logo. The B1-sized posters are framed in a TOKION original frame and are labelled with a unique serial number. The prints JPY180,000 and are limited to 15 copies each.

Yokoo collaged GG patterns in the two pieces that he worked on; “HANGA JUNGLE” and “Kohke.” They clearly express the fantasy of an undefined style.

The original frame can be wall-mounted, but they were designed to be placed on the floor like a standing mirror. A modern style stand is provided at the bottom and has a black satin matte finish. A handwritten edition number and the TOKION logo is on the right side of the frame.

Japan’s leading contemporary artist and his work is highly regarded across the world, collaborated with Gucci, to produce unique work that art lovers and those who are not can appreciate.

B1 posters are available for purchase at TOKIO OFFICIAL EC and TOKION the STORE at MIYASHITA PARK. 

Photography Eizo Kuzukawa

The post Tadanori Yokoo collaborated with Gucci and have released a limited edition B1 poster in a TOKION frame appeared first on TOKION - Cutting edge culture and fashion information.

The scope of art widens in tandem with advances in technology. Means of expression grow broader and more diverse as time marches on, such as with VR for AI and AR. Such advances and widening occur due to a desire for art among both the artists expressing themselves and the audience. Now more than ever, art is deeply entangled not only with technology, but also with fashion and music as it extends outward like a vast ocean. This should be apparent to anyone who takes a look at social media sites, where tons of art is being uploaded every day. It is wonderful that audiences are able to freely enjoy such art which is now so accessible. Yet rather than just merely appreciating it, at times we ought to turn our attention to the artist’s sensibilities and viewpoint, as well as the background behind its creation. 

Shohei Otomo is an artist who uses ballpoint pens to produce drawn pieces in black and white that are elaborate and subtle. Otomo’s works are drawn using the type of ballpoint pens for office use that can be found anywhere. It is this means of expression with a sense of tension hanging over it from the fact that these strokes of the pen cannot be undone that draws the audience in. In this article we will thoroughly examine the new pieces drawn by Otomo by incorporating iconic elements from Gucci as well as the rough sketches made on the way to creating them out of a desire to take a deep dive into both the messages embedded within them and the appeal of his work, together with comments from the artist himself. 

Two pieces imbued with Gucci elements and “hope” 

One of the two pieces he sketched portrays a motif of a kinetic, beautiful woman, while the other is that of a lion floating amidst a jet-black backdrop. At the same time these pieces take on a finely-detailed realism that one would not expect from works drawn with a ballpoint pen. When one examines both pieces by visually comparing them, one senses that they inhabit a contrasting relationship between yin and yang (light and shadow). If the piece with the woman in which the elements of the Gucci clothing pattern is represented in a gradation from bottom to top is taken as the yang, then the picture of the lion’s mouth with the double G pattern rising up out of the darkness represents the yin. In light of this contrasting nature, one might conjecture that the messages embedded within them are different, but in his response Otomo indicated that this is not the case. “I wanted to imbue the two pieces with this contrast between black and white. The portrait of the woman is an ascending image. The lion, which has held the significance of dispelling disaster and ill will since long ago in Japan, is an image indicative of the power that resides within.” Speaking about both pieces like so, Otomo used his ballpoint pen to imbue them with such “hope.” 

Next, we will examine some of the rough sketches from the process of creating these pieces. Along with the woman dressed in the style of the bosozoku (Japanese biker gangs) wearing the tokko-huku jacket typical they are known for, we see a woman’s arm holding a wakizashi (short sword) and a courtesan wearing sunglasses. As one can see by looking at these prior works, Otomo actively incorporates Japan’s traditional culture and subcultures into his works. Otomo has established a sense of originality through this mode of expression in which Japanese culture is fused with symbols of modernity such as the sunglasses. I believe that this style presents the viewer with new value while stirring up their emotions. 

Let’s examine these even more closely. Upon closer inspection, one realizes that in both cases their “eyes” are concealed: the woman’s by her sunglasses and the lion’s by the darkness. Works in which the subject’s eyes are not depicted is a feature often seen in Otomo’s past works. In a previous interview, Otomo offered the reply, “I feel that drawing absolutely everything throws my rhythm off, whereas leaving some things out produces its own rhythm … [omitted] … Doing it this way produces an enigmatic depth, and I am partially of the mind that I want this to serve as an entry point for approaching my work.” By not depicting absolutely everything, he creates blank spaces and intervals. These blank spaces and intervals are part of a sensibility that is uniquely Japanese, and become apparent by observing them as a characteristic unique to Otomo.

Shohei Otomo is using his ballpoint pen to clear the way in an anxious world with an uncertain future 

But why is it the case that Otomo, who studied oil painting back in his student days, draws pictures in ballpoint pen and not pencil? “My personal stance when it comes to drawing pictures is to leave them fundamentally unchanged from when I first jot them down in my notebook. I find they turn out better on ordinary stationary rather than with specialized art supplies. The feeling resembles drawing pictures on the notebooks you would jot notes down on during class, like the ones made for writing (kanji) characters. As for the ballpoint pens, I like the cheap ones for office use that are hard to draw with.” Ever since he was a young child, Otomo created pieces over a long period of time by continuing to use his favorite implements. This accumulated output is a testament to Otomo’s true self, and ties directly in with his outstanding powers of description. 

These two pieces imbued with Otomo’s heart and soul were created right in the middle of the novel coronavirus pandemic. They have an intense power that serves to embolden us and steel us mentally as we live through one day after another full of hope mixed with uncertainty. Shohei Otomo will continue to express himself via works that interweave the past with the present via ballpoint pen. One can’t help but wonder where such a rare artist as he is headed in the future. 

Shohei Otomo
Born in Musashino City, Tokyo in 1980. After graduating from Tama Art University, embarked upon his activities as an artist. Has released works made using ballpoint pens online, and has garnered worldwide recognition as an artist via the internet. Has displayed works in places like Japan, Paris, Italy, Australia, and Hong Kong to date. Recently has taken up the challenge of art via new forms of expression such as sculpted artworks and AR filter pieces.

Photography Yoshimitsu Umekawa
Motion & Sound Shigeru Suzuki (THE ME)
Cooperation Abilio Marcelo Hagiwara

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Eliminate the thinking process for creation

Yokoo’s work doesn’t have a set style or pattern. Fantasy images coexist with reality in the work. Many of the motifs defy a logical explanation. Where do such ideas come from?

“Chosen intuitively and fleetingly from a stock of various visual experiences from past memories. I’m not particularly interested in logical consistency. I create an encounter between unmeasurable things. I don’t think of creating things with a purpose, so I’m not interested in finished work. So the purpose of drawing is not to draw results or a just cause.”

Eliminating the thinking process in the production of work is Yokoo’s individual stance of “reception ability” to make one’s own thoughts those of another, and has left countless works with that theme. Yokoo continues to collaborate with fashionable brands. What thinking went into the collaboration with Gucci this time?

Brand logo’s jump straight into one’s eyes from works in the series “Kohke.” Vibrant pink and yellow background is repainted over the green and red of the Gucci colors and the GG pattern is a brilliant collage.

Also, to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the Yokoo Tadanori Museum of Contemporary Art, built in 2018 to commemorate the Hyogo Prefectural government’s 150th anniversary Predecessor Project, the works of the HANGA JUNGLE exhibition are surprising with elements of Gucci motifs. “Hanga” is well-known in English to mean super print, not the more traditional meaning of “print,” and works that combine the Gucci brand logo with the key colors of red and green are included intuitively in collages with the same theme as the exhibition where Yokoo’s varied expression is layered with the word “jungle.”

“There is no particular reason for choosing from the several candidate Gucci logos. The collage balance was improvised and set intuitively. Other logos or characters would have been just as good. I made 2-D works 3-D and I’m interested in situations where a new function is implemented in society. Similar to certain works, artists and fashion brands, in a way homage aims to break away from authority. Malevolence is necessary for that. Respect and beautification cannot exceed the object. You may also unknowingly reject the value of the market. Being too greedy in the market will stifle your freedom. I even think I should deny my purpose for freedom. In other words, I prioritize self-evaluation over social evaluation. Conventional styles will be the death of art.”

One of a kind originality when even one’s own work is subject to copying

As a feature of Yokoo’s work, which does not have a particular style, is the repetition of motifs. The “Pink Girls” series, representative of the 1960’s, was displayed again in the 1990’s and was drawn intermittently until recently. Also, works since the 2000’s symbolize “Y-Junction” and the same scene changes gradually through many iterations. Originally, Yokoo regarded copying existing images as an important element of his work. Then is can be said that his one of a kind originality is subject to copying. It is not just self-imitation, his conviction is supported by the idea that “works evolve over time” and is antithesis to Yokoo’s common sense.

“I always want to be new. Today I want to draw different images to the ones I drew yesterday. I’m always thinking how my drawings will change and develop. This is different to forming a setup. When I didn’t have a particular style, one of my peers said “Your style is all over the place! Are you sure you’re not schizophrenic?” and then I knew I had found my path. That was shortly after I turned to painting. An original way of drawing or compositional variations was never there from the beginning.”

When asked for a final message he replied “I am incomplete; my drawing are incomplete.” This time the works are themed around the Gucci motif, and include collages on “repetition,” which is the true value of Yokoo’s work, as well as visual and abstract metaphors. The artwork makes you appreciate the message that “everything is incomplete” could be considered a final present from Yokoo.

Tadanori Yokoo
Born in Hyogo Prefecture in 1936. Worked as a graphic designer from the 1960’s, and transitioned to being an artist in 1981. Since then was engaged in producing various pieces as an artist. The Yokoo Tadanori Museum of Contemporary Art, opened in 2012 in Kobe city, stores over 3000 pieces of art. Recently, solo exhibitions have been hosted by Tokyo Modern Art Gallery (1997), Hara Art Gallery (2001), The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto (2003), among other venues. Currently, the “Hyogo Prefectural Yokoo Emergency Hospital” exhibition will be at the Yokoo Tadanori Museum of Contemporary Art until August 30th.

Photography Masahiro Sanbe
Motion & Sound Shigeru Suzuki (THE ME)

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