Award-winning Japanese artist Kenichi Yokono has been getting an increasing amount of attention outside of his home country recently. His artwork stands out both because of his chosen media -- large, boldly painted woodcuts -- and because the compositions themselves often touch on themes that remind the viewer of Japanese manga, horror movies, and monsters. The horror element is no accident, either - the author himself has called some of his work "The Horror of Every Day Life".
Yokono-san graduated from art college in Japan in and has been on an upward trajectory ever since. He was invited to participate in several of the early Tokyo art fairs organized by Japanese art superstar Takashi Murakami. Yokono has also won both the Eriko Osaka Prize and the Tom Tom Eccels Prize, and his works have appeared in numerous solo and group shows in Japan. Earlier this year, he participated in the Pulse Art Fair in New York. Currently, Yokono's work is part a group show at the Mark Moore Gallery in Los Angeles.
With all of the things he has going on, Yokono still found the time to talk to about his work, horror films, and the Japanese contemporary art scene. Enjoy the intervie
Mark Moore Gallery is pleased to present new works by innovative Japanese artist, Kenichi Yokono, in the Project Room. Yokono produces intricate and complex wood blocks, whose aesthetically pleasing blood-red and white surfaces belie their disturbing details. His works highlight the subtle conflict between the "normalcy" of everyday appearances and the darkest recesses of human imagination - fueled by horror movies, Manga and monsters – that constantly threaten to rise to the surface. This unsettling quality evokes the darker, sinister elements of traditional Japanese culture that have largely been overwhelmed by the simplified, cutesy, plastic cartoon characters of contemporary Japanese pop-culture. By installing the wood block itself as the finished piece, Yokono subverts its traditional function, transforming something that is traditionally a genesis, into a finality. He also eliminates the possibility of copies, and therefore any notion of "mass production", again subtlety referring to and undermining Japanese pop-culture.
By working directly from enlarged initial sketches, Yokono's work retains an energy and freshness
Kenichi Yokono uses woodblock methodologies to address the stark contrast between traditional and contemporary Japanese culture, as well as the confluence between Western and Eastern pop cultures. Influences from manga, anime, horror movies, and other stereotypical aspects of Japanese pop culture merge to present iconic images of buoyant kawaii (or “cuteness”) in contrast with “the horror of everyday life,” according to the artist. Also referencing his longtime interest in American skate and surf culture, Yokono’s carvings often depict a “punk rock” sensibility that speaks to a desire to break outside of customary Japanese sensibilities. Although functioning woodblocks, Yokono’s works are without the conventional prints that have historically served as the final art object - rather, the woodblock itself is the art object; a subtle pushback against orthodox Japanese art-making that bridges past and present cultural realities. Similarly, Yokono demonstrates an interest in the Western art historical canon, oftentimes including elements of Dutch vanitas or still life paint
Kenichi Yokono
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Kenichi Yokono is a Japanese artist born in in Kanazawa, Ishikawa. He is best known for his woodcutting, often created with very bold colors, usually red. He is a member of Geisai, and
Biography
Yokono graduated from the Kanazawa College of Art in He had started creating works in , and has quickly moved from painting to woodcutting. He started using bright colors in when he started gaining popularity. Though his work is popular in Japan, much of his work is showcased in Los Angeles and other American galleries.
Artistic Style
While he began with painting, especially self portraits, Yokono is well known for creating wooden cut outs, usually red and white, and often in the form of various body parts that had the ability to be placed together and were often related to horror imagery. These people often look like they are hanging, sometimes with what appears to be blood on their shoes. Many of Yokono’s works appear to be bleeding or have some substance dripping from their bodies.
Yokono has been working in the wooden print medium since , and it is the style of his best known works.
Awards
Yokono has won
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