Artist Yoshitaka Amano's Kobe exhibition is gaining popularity this summer, showcasing his past works, including character designs for titles like "Final Fantasy," "Science Ninja Team Gatchaman," "Time Bokan Series," "Neo-Human Casshern," and "The Adventures of Hutch the Orphan," illustrations and book covers for popular novel series like Kaoru Kurimoto's "Guin Saga" and Hideyuki Kikuchi's "Vampire Hunter D," and even fine art. While he has had numerous solo exhibitions overseas, including in Paris, New York, Luxembourg, and Hong Kong, this traveling exhibition marks his first major exhibition at a public art museum in Japan, having first debuted at the Contemporary Art Museum, Kumamoto, in September of last year. The "Yoshitaka Amano: A World Beyond Imagination" exhibition, running until August 30th at the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art, known for its architecture by Tadao Ando, features over 200 works, ranging from early "Gatchaman" cels to original drawings, silkscreens, and his latest masterpiece, an acrylic painting on aluminum panel spanning over 7 meters in width. New works, including original drawings and silkscreens from the "Final Fantasy" series and original drawings from the recently animated "Vegetable Fairy N.Y. Salad," have also been added, drawing a wide range of fans, from children to students to adults. In the fashion world, Yoshitaka Amano is known for his collaborations with Japanese designers, such as the "Eve" exhibition he co-created with Yoshiki Hishinuma at the Paris Opera in 2010 and his collaboration with ANREALAGE for the opening of the remodeled women's clothing line at the Isetan Shinjuku store in 2012. His work has also been featured frequently in international fashion media, including a 2004 publication in the magazine Visionaire. His futuristic designs, which he has been creating since joining Tatsunoko Productions at the age of 15, are popular with anime fans overseas. His fanatical popularity has seen him gather at cosplay events in Miami and San Francisco, where he dresses up as characters from his worlds, from "Final Fantasy" to "The Tale of Genji." His work is recognized as a pioneering force in modern Japanese animation. His recent "Candy Girl" series brings together the girls he's been drawing since the 1970s into a single world, a new masterpiece finished with car paint and a pop art-inspired interpretation. "I haven't consciously thought about it, but 1970s fashion and the colors of pop art have become a major element in my work. Looking at photos of myself in my teens and twenties, when I was dedicated to drawing characters at Tatsunoko Productions, I see myself with long hair and dressed exactly like Ken from 'Gatchaman,'" Amano says with a laugh. The exhibition also features a silkscreen of Doronjo from "Yatterman," created as "an homage to Andy Warhol's silkscreen work, Marilyn Monroe" (ibid.).

During a live video event held during the exhibition, Amano demonstrated an impromptu drawing on the theme of "Kobe Fashion." From the oriental facial lines of a woman, to the hairstyle of a woman from the Genroku period, yellow eyeshadow, tattoos, and green fur costumes, the resulting fashion illustration evokes a near-future. The female characters in Amano's world, inspired by Kobe, which will celebrate the 150th anniversary of its port opening in 2017, are reminiscent of Antonio Lopez, a fashion illustrator active in New York in the 1980s. The work will be on display at the venue throughout the exhibition.
【Event Information】
"Amano Yoshitaka Exhibition: A World Beyond Imagination"
Venue: Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art
Address: 1-1-1 Wakinohama Kaigan-dori, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture (inside HAT Kobe)
Dates: Until August 30th
Hours: 10:00-18:00 (last admission 30 minutes before closing) *Closing at 3:00 pm on August 30th
Admission: Adults 1,200 yen, University students 1,000 yen, High school students and those 65 and over 600 yen
■Interview, text, and photo: Noda Tatsuya