Manga art is not a new thing in Japan as many consider the great Hokusai, famous for his Kanagawa wave, to be the first master of the somewhat grotesque depiction of Manga characters. Today a new wave of contemporary artists has embraced this culture and has over-exaggerated its form. One can find in this movement a strong relation with the modern Japanese street culture including the cosplay… disturbing sometimes but mostly rather amusing. We invite you to dig into the world of 5 significant artists who have mastered the genre in the past decade and are now world-famous artists.
MR. YANEN is one of the big stars of the Manga Otaku scene. Although at first sight, one might think of his work as joyful or naive with all his references to the world of Anime, we should also consider his vision of the Japanese society with the solitude and anxiety syndrome that is very common in this country. As always with the Japanese art we are featuring this month one must always look both at the esthetic and the philosophy behind.
Chiho Aoshima like MR. is also part of the Superflat movement. Her inspiration comes from the Shintoism beliefs and its approach to duality: utopia/dystopia, nature/technology etc… Always rather feminine one must dig into it to fully grasp the magnitude of her work.
Tabaimo is another Venice Biennale artist. She is using traditional and ultra-modern techniques to push the boundaries of Japanese society critics. Her work is surreal, disturbing, provocative but represented in that very subtle Japanese way. Striking!
MADSAKI is part of the new generation of Japanese artists who use their own culture with a strong international influence… Born in Japan, but raised in the US he has mastered the reinterpretation of our world iconography… with humour and sarcasm. In a typical Japanese fashion!
Mariko Mori is one of the main Japanese artists who have used manga culture as the base of their art. Her sculptures or paintings depict the new Japan that appeared around 40 years ago… A milestone of Japanese art.
