3 May-31 July 2014
“Keiichi Tanaami: Collages”
Women, erotic scenes, superheroes, robots and comic book characters inhabit the glaring, opulent universe of Keiichi Tanaami‘s collages. Their imagery is intense, rich in colours and motifs, and visually overwhelming. The works presented in this exhibition come from the late 1960s and the early 1970s. They were created shortly after Keiichi Tanaami‘s stay in the USA and reflect his fascination with the aesthetics of Pop Art and Flower Power. The film industry, music culture, as well as growing consumption and the discovery of sexual freedom influenced the young artist at that time.
Already in his early works, Keiichi Tanaami manages to create the characteristic synthesis of multiple dimensions of times and cultures. Traditional Japanese drawings are combined with comics, photographs of Hollywood stars are overlapped with rockets and tanks, next to medieval motifs. The Beatles pop up. The mixture of western and eastern cultural images, typical for the artist, not only forms the strong visual aesthetic, but also serves as a particular act of reconciliation: As a child, Tanaami witnessed the atomic bombings of Hiroshima.
Emotionally, as well as artistically, autobiographical, Keiichi Tanaami‘s collages give precious insight into the early, temporarily forgotten creative period of this Pop Art classic.
(adapted from the gallery’s press materials)
INFORMATION
Galerie Gebr. Lehmann
Lindenstraße 35
10969 Berlin, Germany
+49 (30) 25927273
Image (top):
collage book 9_23 (1969-1975)
by Keiichi Tanaami
21.25″x19.33″
ink and acrylic drawing, magazine and comic collage on paper
1973
© Keiichi Tanaami
Courtesy: Galerie Gebr. Lehmann Dresden/Berlin
Image (centre):
collage book 9_10 (1969-1975)
by Keiichi Tanaami
21.25″x19.33″
ink and acrylic drawing, magazine and comic collage on paper
1973
© Keiichi Tanaami
Courtesy: Galerie Gebr. Lehmann Dresden/Berlin