Keiichi Tanaami Japanese, b. 1936
Overview
A seminal figure of Japanese Pop art, Keiichi Tanaami makes colorful, cartoonish paintings, collages, animations, and works on paper that challenge divisions between “high” and “low” culture and between East and West. Throughout his alternately surreal, erotic, violent, and unsettling work, he juxtaposes references from 20th-century Americana—vintage pin-ups, logos, and ’60s psychedelia, for example—with elements of traditional Japanese illustration and manga. Drawing on his childhood memories of American bombings in Tokyo during World War II, Tanaami has also incorporated images of military planes, explosions, beams of light, floating heads, gigantic fish, and bizarre hybrid figures into his oeuvre. The artist studied graphic design at Musashino Art University and established a successful advertising and editorial career. Encounters with Japan’s Neo-Dada scene and Andy Warhol’s work inspired him to focus on fine art. Tanaami has exhibited widely across the globe, and his work belongs in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, Yokohama Museum of Art, M+, and the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., among others. Tanaami has also collaborated with brands including Adidas, BE@RBRICK, and Uniqlo.
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