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.
If you're looking for some DIY Halloween decoration ideas, look no further. London based illustrator 
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.
Mixed media artist 
Numbers of women artists still rank low in gallery rosters, less than 50 percent, across the world. With the exception of a few like Yayoi Kusama and Yoko Ono, women in the Japanese contemporary art world have yet to earn equal recognition. This is largely due to the historical conception that women were not suited to become professional artists. A new exhibition at Jiro Miura Gallery in Tokyo is bringing awareness to 19 emerging international women artists. "Ephemeral: Territory of Girls", which opened on July 25th, showcases new works by Jana Brike, Amy Crehore, Virginia Mori, Ania Tomicka, Emi Adachi, Fuco Ueda, Kaori Ogawa, Miki Kato, Kimi Kuruhara, Kozue Kuroki, Satomi Kuwahara, Atsuko Goto, Yuka Sakuma, Minae Takada, Tsubaki Torii, Yumi Nakai, Yuko Nagami, Yuki Nagayoshi, Mao Hamaguchi, Miho Hirano, Shiori Matsumoto, Eri Mizuno, and Yuko Murai.