Keiichi Tanaami: Adventures in Memory

Period

August 7 (Wed), 2024 – November 11 (Mon), 2024

Closed on Tuesdays

Opening Hours

10:00-18:00
(Friday and Saturday, 10:00-20:00)
(Last admission 30 minutes before closing)

Venue

The National Art Center, Tokyo
Special Exhibition Gallery 1E
7-22-2 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-8558

Admission (tax included)

General	2,000 yen (Adults) 1,400 yen (College students) 1,000 yen (High school students)

• Visitors who are junior high school students or younger will be admitted for free.
• Disabled persons (along with the one assistant) will be admitted for free upon presenting the Disabled Person’s Booklet or an equivalent form of government-issued ID.
• Free entrance to the exhibition for high school students from August 19 (Mon) to August 25 (Sun), 2024, upon presenting student ID. *Closed on August 20 (Tue.) 
  
• More information on tickets will be posted at a later date on the exhibition website.

Inquiries

(+81) 47-316-2772 (Hello Dial)

Official Instagram
@tanaami2024

Works Intimately Intertwined with Japan’s Postwar Cultural History

The works on view include ORDER MADE!! Series (1965)  [9,10], which drew inspiration from Andy Warhol and was one of the first examples of Japanese Pop Art; NO MORE WAR Series(1967), a finalist in an anti-Vietnam War poster contest held by the American magazine Avant Garde; and the animation Good-by Marilyn (1971), created using collage techniques for the TV program 11PM. These and many other works illuminate the counterculture that blossomed in Japan after World War II.

An Ever-Flowing Fountain of Memories

In recent years, Tanaami has produced numerous works with themes drawn from his own memories and dreams. Childhood experiences in wartime, and a severe and life-threatening illness, have been significant catalysts for his focus on memories magnified in the mind, reflecting the idea that “people unconsciously alter their own memories as they go through life.” Titled Adventures in Memory, the exhibition features new works [11] exhibited for the first time, as well as dream diaries which Tanaami has kept sporadically since the 1970s, drawings [12], and related installations [13], revealing the inexhaustible wellspring of his creativity.

An Astounding Array of Collaborations

Throughout his long career, Tanaami has worked for a remarkable range of clients and with an extraordinary lineup of collaborators. These have included fashion brands, including Mary Quant, adidas [14], JUNYA WATANABE, and Ground Y, and musicians, such as GENERATIONS from EXILE TRIBE, Aki Yashiro, and RADWIMPS [15]. He has also worked with iconic characters like Ultraman and joined forces with the late manga artist Fujio Akatsuka [16], with whom he had a friendship. The exhibition highlights Tanaami’s achievements as a designer, showing his deep commitment to collaboration since the earliest days of his career, as well as his approach to producing new works through synergies generated by partnerships.

Keiichi Tanaami

Born in Tokyo in 1936, and graduated from Musashino Art University. Keiichi Tanaami has achieved unparalleled recognition for his interdisciplinary activities, as an art director, graphic designer, and filmmaker.
Tanaami’s recent solo exhibitions include PARAVENTI: KEIICHI TANAAMI (Prada Aoyama, Tokyo, Japan, 2023), Manhattan Universe (Venus Over Manhattan, New York, USA, 2022), A Mirror of the World (NANZUKA UNDERGROUND, Tokyo, Japan, 2022), Keiichi Tanaami (Kunstmuseum Luzern, Switzerland, 2019), Keiichi Tanaami (Jeffrey Deitch, New York, 2019). He is internationally acclaimed as a pioneer of Pop Art in Japan, with work featured in retrospective surveys with a global scope such as International Pop (Walker Art Center, Dallas Museum of Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art, USA, 2015-2016) and The World Goes Pop (Tate Modern, London, UK, 2015). Tanaami’s works are housed in numerous public collections including The Museum of Modern Art (USA), Walker Art Center (USA), The Art Institute of Chicago (USA), M+ (Hong Kong), National Portrait Gallery (USA), and Hamburger Bahnhof (Germany).

Organized by
The National Art Center, Tokyo; The Asahi Shimbun; Japan Arts Council; Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan
　　　　　　　　　　

With the sponsorship of
Shueisha; adidas; MATTEL CREATIONS™
　　　  

Production cooperation
Sony Music Entertainment

With the cooperation of
NANZUKA

With the support of
J-WAVE