Artist Spotlight - Sotaro Takanami — Contemporary Art Curator Magazine

Biography

1949 Born in Tokyo, Japan
1973 Graduated from Tama Art University, Department of Oil Painting.
1986 The Française Collection released a wood cut print book "Nature" in
Tokyo and Paris at the same time.
1990～I had held more than 100 solo exhibitions at Takashimaya department
2024 store art galleries nationwide.

Beloved Mother, '1972. Paper・Pastel・Crayon, 61.5×46.5cm.

I had many time solo exhibitions at galleries throughout Japan.
2024 Exhibition of the original Twelve Monkey Haiku wood-cut prints at Gallery Yoshii (Paris).
Twelve Monkey Haiku published by RMN (Reunion des Musees Nationaux, France).
Twelve Monkey Haiku appeared in the Louvre and major bookstores in France.
Invited by President Chirac to a supper at the Elysee Palace.
2010 The Sasakawa Peace Foundation publishes “THE BIGINNING OF SPACE” for the Middle East.
Created design of sumo wrestler’s ornamental apron for Yokozuna Hakuho.
2024 Two-month Special solo exhibition at Takashimaya Archives :
“Takanami Sotaro : A Devotion to Painting.”
I had exhibited many exhibitions in various parts of the world.
(USAParis, Monaco, Austria, Cannes, Switzerland, Germany)

Artist Statement

From January 11 to February 26, 2024, I held a retrospective exhibition at the Takashimaya Historical Museum in Osaka. The media coverage was extensive, and I was grateful for the large number of visitors who came to see my work. In Japan, just as I felt I had reached a turning point within myself, receiving this introduction from the UAE has been incredibly fortuitous and greatly appreciated.

Self Portrait<The Day I Lied>, '1978. Oil on Canvas, 68×43㎝.

I believe I will continue painting until the moment I die. In my twenties, I experienced friendship, respect, passionate love, music, aestheticism, intense darkness, anxiety, illness, death, conflict, and anger. During that time, I felt a connection to God and had new discoveries every day. It was a stimulating, free, and happy period.

View of Yokohama, '1979. Oil on canvas, 73×91cm

As time flowed like wind pushing clouds, I realized that those moments were unique to that time—my youth. Since then, while being haunted by memories of those enjoyable times, I have continued to paint. Even if I paint a hundred or a thousand pieces, each one surpasses past memories and gives me a sense of a new, first-time experience and a zest for life.

Botanical Garden, ’1980. Oil on canvas, 73×91cm

For me, painting is like water in a desert, quenching my thirst under the scorching sun. Whether I live to paint or paint to live, I constantly ask myself. The mysteries within my paintings are ones I probably won't solve even if I live for another hundred years. Every day, I hold my brush at a set time, hoping to get closer to those answers, even if just a little, in my remaining time.

Contemporary Art Curator Sotaro Takanami
Contemporary Art Collectors NOBLE ART CONVERSATIONS Sotaro Takanami
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https://www.takashimaya.co.jp/shiryokan/exhibition/backnumber.html