Keiichi Tanaami
Japan
Keiichi Tanaami was born in Tokyo, and graduated from in the college of design at Musashino Art University. Tanaami is known for vivid, color-drenched works that intensely reflect his childhood memories of World War II and the impact of the American pop culture he encountered after the war. Tanaami has recently been enjoying a surge in positive critical reappraisal. He began his career as a designer while enrolled at Musashino Art University, and in 1975 he became the first art director of the monthly magazine PLAYBOY (Japanese edition). Tanaami became a leading figure in Japan’s underground art scene primarily on the strength of his work in magazines and advertisements. From the 1960s until today, he has prolifically produced paintings, collages, sculptures, animations, experimental video pieces, and installations, applying methodologies and techniques he developed in the design field. Defying confinement to specific genres or conventional rules, he has had a significant impact in an art-historical context.