Known to be a member of the Kaikai Kiki collective, Japanese pop-artist Aya Takano has distanced from the collaborative structure created by Takashi Murakami to launch her new solo exhibition, “Reintegrating Worlds.”
The exhibition started on November 5th and is held at the Skarstedt Gallery in New York City. The collection consists of 15 paintings filled with implausible scenarios, displaying a love for females and all various types of nature with a sensual, childlike feel.
When confronted to Takano’s work, one must be ready to enter a bizarre and futuristic form of art. Setting herself apart from the other Kaikai Kiki artists, her art illustrates Japan’s post-war cultural prosperity while demonstrating overpowering diversity and exquisite aesthetic fusion of information. Takano’s drawings and paintings reflect vigorous female deeds in a passionate love of creation, while her distinctive brush strokes result in warped ethereal bodies, floating upon the canvas to tell a story.
Takano’s sources of inspiration range from the 14th Century Italian religious paintings to modern pop culture: a large variety of references collide in her works to produce a one-of-a-kind modern art experience, widely acclaimed in Europe and America.
Familiar faces stood out amongst the crowd attending the premiere of the exhibit in New York. One of those high-profile guests was none other than art-loving producer Pharrell Williams, who became a bigger-than-hip hop icon in the world of fashion and design. A sign of the Japanese influence on urban wear? Pharrell incorporated Japanese-styled prints for his Ice Cream sneaker brand and Billionaires Boy Club clothing line, created in collaboration with the Bathing Ape founder Nigo. But the general influence of Japanese pop culture on hip hop can be found in many different spaces, from fashion to albums’ artwork… Remember the manga-like cover of Kanye West’s “Graduation”?
Currently, Takano is also involved in a Kaikai Kiki group presentation titled “Winter Garden: The Exploration of the Micropop Imagination in Contemporary Japanese Art,” which is a showcase involving only Takano and Mahomi Kunikata. The exhibition ends on November 20th and takes place in the Japan Cultural Institute in Cologne, Germany.
Aya Takano’s exhibit “Reintegrating Worlds” can be enjoyed from November 5th till December 12th at the Skarstedt Gallery in NYC.
Written by Shabazz
