Japanese Pop artist Keiichi Tanaami has rarely seen artwork now on view at New York contemporary art gallery Sikkema Jenkins & Co. When we covered his 2013 solo exhibition at Mizuma Gallery, his art went through a turning point. His fascination with life after a near-death experience inspired him to look to the future, rather than the past. The artwork in this show is not new- but Tanaami’s mixture of motifs from the past inspires modern questions that keeps his art relevant. He created it in the 1970s, inspired by a New York visit that included first-time encounters with Andy Warhol, Coca-Cola, American cartoons and comic book characters. They represent an era of excess that led him to work at Japanese Playboy and direct videos for John Lennon (6 of which are also on view). The overall aesthetic is psychedelic, a movement that occurred simultaneously in 1960s-70s America and Japan. Clippings of civil rights marches with the stars and stripes mirror the recent protests in Ferguson, Missouri. The objectification of women in vintage lingerie ads is less shocking by comparison to today’s sexualized female super heroes. It begs to consider if we’ve changed all that much, and will Pop art still address these issues in 50 years from now.
Keiichi Tanaami is now on view at Sikkema Jenkins & Co Gallery through October 4th, 2014.
Our next print issue of Hi-Fructose Magazine arrives in stores Jan. 1st, 2016! Featured in this issue is: A glaringly awesome cover by Japanese art icon Keiichi Tanaami. Tanaami’s history and story is amazing, and the result of which is a unique eye-splitting body of work we’re happy to bring to you in print. Plus Riikka Hyvönen’s “Derby Kisses”, Tip Toland’s meaningful hyper-real sculptures, Yellena James’ beautiful painted floral explosions, Mark Ryden’s latest show Dodecahedron, and the mighty ink pen of Kim Jung Gi. We follow this with extensive features on Eric White’s paintings of a Hollywood-gone-bizarro, Chris Mars’ frighteningly beautiful world, Yoshitoshi Kanemaki’s amazing multi-expressional sculptures, and painter Margaret Bowland’s immersive work about power and identity. Also in this issue, punk rock historian and RE/Search founder V.Vale delves into the new photography book Shot in the Dark: Collected Photography by David Arnoff, plus much more! Pre-order copies direct from us 
Japanese artist and founder of Superflat, 
New York-based artist 
Kyosuke Tchinai (b. 1948) is a Japanese artist known for his ethereal paintings made with acrylics and precious metals on washi paper. The artist employs traditional aesthetics and techniques that help pay tribute to his homeland while reflecting his training in Western style painting. Through his unique medium, the artist fuses these two worlds to present a modern interpretation of both Japanese and European art forms.