chulebu

source: lookinarttv

Tetsuya Tamanoi was born in and is a visual artist and graphic designer, with an impressive client roster. His technical excellence is due, in part, to his past experience as a sculptor in Takashi Murakami’s Kaikai Kiki studio, where perfection is the norm. However, Tamanoi’s sense of humor and fantasy is all his own.
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source: azito-art

Many people have been influenced by experiences, memories or preferences in their childhood. It can be seen by in those who still like the childhood object, “mono” in Japanese, such as hamburger steak or curry rice even after the one is grown up. As a fundamental part of their preferences, people tend to choose “cute” objects which they have seen as a kid. Animation, toys and sundry goods may be typical “cute” objects. The artist Tamanoi pulled out the keyword “sweets” from his memory and the image of cuteness. Tamanoi created the word “mono-lolita” defining the preference people have for choosing object “mono” which they liked in their childhood and looks childish in some sense. Tamanoi used “sweets” in his artworks as a symbol of pulling out the image of deep psyche in people’s mind. Tamanoi was strongly influenced by the American TV show and movies in the 1970s and 80s, such as Star Wars, An American Werewolf in London and Mad Max2. In these movies, surrealistic scenes were mixed into the real world. Using a child as a hook, cuteness and cruelty were combined even if they are contradictory elements. Cuteness and cruelty, childish mind in an adult and precocious mind in a child, real and surreal at the same time. Tamanoi creates sculptures and photographs to express these images into an object “mono.” Tamanoi is also putting forth a question of the life and death. When we encountered Tamanoi’s artwork, it first looks cute but for in next second, we find the cruelty, our desire or fear leading to death. At the same time there is a graciousness in facing life and death. As one French artist quoted “Artwork is like my own grave.” The gigantic chocolate sculpture looks like a wall in front of a child or like a gravestone. “Cuteness and cruelty” or “life and death” inspires us without any darkness but with fun. By viewing Tamanoi’s artwork, we can rethink what is in our deep psyche.