Tsubaki Gojuro c.2001 collection of the Yokoo Tadanori Museum of Contemporary Art
The Grand Yokoopedia is an encyclopedia-like exhibition consisting of works and resources that were inspired by terms related to Yokoo Tadanori’s world of art. These words correspond to 45 of the hiragana symbols and the 26 letters of the alphabet.
Yokoo is interested in a wide variety of things, and is truly a deeply learned person. His way of voraciously adopting everything under the sun as a motif for his work might also be seen an encyclopedic approach. And the terms that were selected for this exhibition inevitably reflect his interests. While some of the works deal with anecdotes that have colored Yokoo’s life or are indicative of his friendships, many others document a spiritual world that cannot be grasped through science alone or deal with issues related to death.
It is our hope that this encyclopedia does not only provide you with a deeper understanding of Yokoo Tadanori’s artistic universe, but in some small way also enables you to live a more profound and richer life.
In closing, we would like to extend our deepest gratitude to Yokoo Tadanori for his tremendous contributions to this exhibition as well as all of the many others who honored us with their support and cooperation in realizing this exhibition.
Adult ¥800
University students ¥600
Age 70 and over ¥400
High school students and younger Free
Poster design: Yokoo Tadanori
Hanshan and Shide are believed to have lived in China during the Tang dynasty. Although they immersed themselves in writing poetry, they dressed in rags and engaged in eccentric behavior. In reality, however, they were the bodhisattvas Manjushri and Samantabhadra. Like characters from a fairy tale, the two have attracted and been depicted by many artists throughout history. Similarly, Yokoo Tadanori found Hanshan and Shide to be an ideal image for an artist, leading him to make a total of 102 paintings of the two over an approximately one-year period.
This exhibition takes up where the last one, Forward to the Past: Yokoo Tadanori’s Road to Hanshan and Shide, left off. Yokoo’s quest, which began with his new interpretation of a work by Soga Shohaku, evolved in a free-wheeling manner as he projected Hanshan and Shide onto a wide range of imagery. These included ukiyo-e-style pictures of beautiful women, floating Belorussian lovers, and a group of marathon runners.
All of these new works are being shown in this museum for the first time. Enjoy viewing today’s Yokoo who, even after a painting career of 40 years, only grows stronger.
Adult ¥700
University students ¥550
Age 70 and over ¥350
High school students and younger Free
Also on View: YOKOO TADANORI COLLECTION GALLERY 2024 Part1
The Yokoo Tadanori Collection Gallery, newly established in 2021, was designed to display documents from Yokoo Tadanori’s archive as well as showcasing a diverse range of collections that Yokoo has maintained for many years, and various related materials in order to provide a deeper and slightly different perspective on the artist’s body of work.
Running simultaneously with Tadanori Yokoo: 100 Takes on Hanshan and Shide is an exhibit of related works and materials. In addition to Hanshan and Shide 2020 (2019), the first work in the eponymous series, and some prints, we present a selection of reproductions of works based on the theme of Hanshan and Shide from the collection of the Tokyo National Museum, which served as the Tokyo venue for Tadanori Yokoo: 100 Takes on Hanshan and Shide.
Dates May 25 (Sat.) – August 25 (Sun.), 2024
Closed: Mondays (except Jul. 15 and Aug. 12) and Jul. 16, Aug. 13
Hours: 10:00 – 18:00 (admission until 17:30)
