Amano solo exhibition presents previously unseen creations
The solo exhibition "缀·梦 Dreamer," featuring work by 71-year-old Japanese artist Yoshitaka Amano, is showing at the Modern Art Museum Shanghai through October 29.
More than 100 artworks, including Amano's latest creations that are being shown to the public for the first time, invite viewers into a world of dreams and fantasy that the master builds with his paintbrushes.
Respected as a "Japanese national treasure," Amano is a character designer and illustrator, as well as a theater and film scenic designer and costume designer. He first came to prominence in the late 1960s working on an anime adaptation of "Speed Racer." Amano later became the creator of iconic and influential characters such as Gatchaman, Tekkaman: The Space Knight, Hutch the Honeybee, and Casshan. He is well known to Chinese audiences through the "Final Fantasy" series.
The exhibition that unfurls on the museum's third floor is curated into five sections – "baby'ZOO," "Parallela," "Pansa" and the original works section comprising of the artist's famous series, such as "Genji monogatari," "Hiten," "Maten," "Lion King," and many others. There is also a special section for guest artist SuspenseGirl, who is Hina Amano, Amano's elder daughter, who shows two of her own series of paintings and sculptures.
A work by Yoshitaka Amano from the "Pansa" section of his solo exhibition.
"Pansa" is the friend of the leading character of the original video animation "Deva Zan," which is expected to be released in 2026. With about 30 new print pieces from the classic series "Pansa" on display in the exhibition, Amano flexes his imagination and obsession with science fiction, machine life, and the future world as imagined in the 1980s and 1990s and beyond.
The protagonist of "Deva Zan," who is called Zan, goes between parallel universes, past and future all by "Pansa," a transportation and time machine that appears in the shape of a black panther, which connects different eras and space. Amano uses dreamy colors, delicate lines and exquisite details to create a fictional world with strong visual tension, where machines have their own consciousness and intelligence.
A work by Yoshitaka Amano from the "Pansa" section of his solo exhibition.
The series of "baby'ZOO" and "Parallela" as the artist's latest creations in the past two years, however, present completely different visual effects from "Pansa."
The "baby'ZOO" series as a whole is vibrant and colorful, exuding a light-hearted and joyful atmosphere, reflecting a state of mind in the artist's career that is distinctly different from his past works.
"I am tired after drawing so many realistic paintings," he said. "While relaxing my mind, a sudden idea floated in – a dream that is relaxing, joyful, and warm – and that's baby'ZOO."
The series depicts the dream world of an infant. In the dream, rare and exotic creatures are born and grow, and go on adventures with the baby. The series initially took shape from a baby's pacifier and gradually evolved into the visage of an infant with large eyes.
As Amano has frequently visited zoos sketching and taking photographs in the past two years, the interactions between the baby and the animals have given rise to dynamic artistic expressions on paper.
In this series, the master tries working on different materials, such as wood, Washi paper (traditional Japanese paper) and ceramic plates.
A work by Yoshitaka Amano from the "baby'ZOO" section of his solo exhibition.
A work by Yoshitaka Amano from the "baby'ZOO" section of his solo exhibition.
The "Parallela" series, featuring bold and bright colors, revolves around the stories of young girls from parallel universes. In different times and spaces, they break free from their constraints to reveal their beauty and personalities. Influenced by pop art in the 1970s, Amano uses a vibrant and popular artistic style to depict the diverse worlds of these cosmic girls, who traverse the vast, imaginative universes, and express themselves freely.
Unlike the dark colors and tension-filled landscapes in the "Pansa" series, the bright colors and character images of "baby'ZOO" and "Parallela," which are similar to those in Japanese anime, reveal Amano's different preferences from his previous works, and also show another significant change and breakthrough in his artistic practice.
A work by Yoshitaka Amano from the "Parallela" section of his solo exhibition.
A work by Yoshitaka Amano from the "Parallela" section of his solo exhibition.
The "Original Painting" section emphasizes Amano's work from the 1980s and 1990s, including the art collections "Maten" and "Hiten," the illustrated version of "The Tale of Genji" and the magazine covers for "The Lion King." The artist plays with lines, colors, shapes, and structures, creating a realm of dreams and imagination.
"Maten" collection
"The Lion King"
Exhibition info:
Date: Through October 29
Venue: Modern Art Museum Shanghai
Address: 3/F, 4777 Binjiang Ave
滨江大道4777号3楼
