Contemporary Japanese Art
Japanese contemporary art provides a unique look at Japanese culture today. While some Japanese artists choose to work in a western style, much of contemporary art in Japan draws on traditional Japanese art, called Nihonga, as well as contemporary Japanese culture, particularly the art style and subject matter of Japanese animation, called anime, and the geek-culture that surrounds it known as otaku.
Takashi Murakami (b.1963) leads the field with his bright, stylized paintings and sculptures that
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Contemporary Japanese Art
Japanese contemporary art provides a unique look at Japanese culture today. While some Japanese artists choose to work in a western style, much of contemporary art in Japan draws on traditional Japanese art, called Nihonga, as well as contemporary Japanese culture, particularly the art style and subject matter of Japanese animation, called anime, and the geek-culture that surrounds it known as otaku.
Takashi Murakami (b.1963) leads the field with his bright, stylized paintings and sculptures that play off the overbearing cuteness seen in anime, called kawaii in Japanese. Murakami’s art is also known for its lack of spatial depth, called superflat by the artist, which has its roots in traditional woodblock prints.
Murakami is founder of the Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd., a group of artists sharing Murakami’s interest in flatness and anime culture. Members include such popular artists as Chiho Aoshima (b.1974), Aya Takano (b.1976), and Mr. (b.1969). Aya Takano is the only artist in the group to work in a painterly style, using a loose hand to create her futuristic paintings of prepubescent girls, drawing on the sexualized depiction of young girls in anime, commonly known as lolicon. Chiho Aoshima’s large, computer-generated murals similarly depict prepubescent girls in fantastic settings, but are known for their clean style and extreme attention to detail. The artist known as Mr. expands on this theme as well, creating large sculptural works and well as paintings.
Other artists outside Murakami’s circle show a similar fascination with kawaii art, notably Yoshitomo Nara (b.1959), whose drawings of young children have become popular for their unique visual style. Another artist working in a similar vein is Hiroyuki Matsuura (b.1964), who worked as a graphic designer for many years before presenting several critically-acclaimed solo exhibitions of his paintings and packaged products.
By drawing attention to the youth and cuteness seen in many aspects of Japanese society, these artists touch upon what scholar Eiji Otsuka saw as the infantilization of Japanese culture in conjunction with the rise of the Japanese economy starting in the 1970’s, which he saw as a method of self-insulation from the fears stemming by Japan’s imperialist past and subsequent defeat in the Second World War. After the end of the war, Japan began rapidly adopting all things western, and as Japan’s economy expanded, much of Japanese culture started to veer towards the non-threatening and infantile, seen particularly in Japanese fashion, where grown women can be seen sporting children’s styles, and in the cute, child-focused art of anime. Otsuka saw this phenomena as a way for the Japanese to protect themselves from the militaristic actions of its past as it once again grew to be a world power. In their appropriation of this kawaii culture contemporary artists play with this connection between Japanese economic growth and its obsession with youth and innocence.
Bridging the gap between modern and traditional Japanese culture, artists such as Makoto Aida (b.1965) and Hisashi Tenmyouya (b.1966) borrow themes and subjects from popular culture, including anime, but often stylistically reference Nihonga art. Makoto Aida’s paintings and sculptures take subjects from contemporary society, such as Ultraman and Godzilla, and place them within the context of a traditional art style, such as a Hokusai woodblock. Hisashi Tenmyouya’s “Neo-Nihonga” paintings similarly attempt to reconcile Japan’s artistic past with the present, featuring soccer-playing samurai and graffiti-spraying ronin.
Tetsuya Ishida’s (1973-2005) skilled, western-influenced oil paintings are mostly self-portraits transformed into machines, seemingly trapped inside Japan’s new urban utopia. Korehiko Hino’s (b.1976) figurative works are similarly disconcerting, with his subject’s bulging, fish-like eyes staring directly out at the viewer.
As Japan continues to evolve at a rapid pace, Japanese contemporary artists use elements of both traditional and modern Japanese culture to reflect complex societal changes. (hide)
Examples of Contemporary Japanese Art at Auction
Artists Associated with Contemporary Japanese Art — 28 artists:
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