Yoshitaka Amano’s Meltin’ Pop
Yoshitaka Amano’s fantasy
To mark the 20th anniversary of the twinning Cannes-Shizuoka, the Espace Miramar presents "Meltin 'Pop", drawings by Yoshitaka Amano. This artist is a Japanese illustrator who has developed a unique "fantasy" style inspired both by his country's traditional techniques and a very modern surrealism. His talent allowed him to explore different media such as pure illustration, comics, sculpture, video art, directing and animation (he gave substance to the legendary video game "Final Fantasy "). The exhibition presents a selection of his paintings and the trailer of his new animated feature film "Deva Zan." Yoshitaka Amano was born in 1952 in Shizuoka. He began his career by working for fifteen years in one of Japan's most influential animation studios, the Tatsunoko. He mixes with a generation of artists out of the ordinary that will propel animation to the international status of "Japanimation". During this busy period where he learned a lot, he is also interested in the centuries-old art of Japanese ukiyo-e, and in European Art Nouveau. This learning allows him, a few years later, to free himself from the circle of the animation to devote himself to illustration, especially in the fantasy genre that will become his specialty for years. He worked with the greatest fantasy literature writers in Japan and gave a face and presence to creatures designed by Hideyuki Kikuchi (Vampire Hunter D) or Kaoru Kurimoto (Guin Saga). He developed a unique style inspired by both an exploration of traditional techniques and a very modern surrealism. In 1987, the creators of Final Fantasy, Squaresoft, called upon him to give substance to their saga. His work is thus animated by engineers and coders on different versions for consoles this marathon series will know. But his willingness to express is not limited only to visual arts. As his stroke is getting purified, his creativity is more and more manifesting itself in increasing volume. Amano designs stage sets for ballets and plays, stained glass, and even jewelry. At that time, his work is gaining recognition in the West. At the end of 1990s, he decided to move to New York and opened a studio. He works with writers from Marvel, and appropriates the mythology of superheroes like Wolverine or Sandman. In the early 2000s, Yoshitaka Amano invests the world of contemporary art. Champion of the total art, Yoshitaka Amano exercises his talent in distinct creations as Hero, Eve, and soon Deva Zan. Their common point: a black panther that links different times, different continents, different talents and different media such as pure illustration, comics, sculpture, video art, film 3D, computer graphics. In 2010, Yoshitaka Amano opens his own studio, Deva Loka, "The place where the gods come together." Come out of this studio movies in 3D and real multimedia projects whose promotion and distribution in Europe will be provided by the company Shibuya International. Yoshitaka Amano received the Medal of the City of Cannes at the opening of the exhibition.
Exhibition from September 16 to October 16. 2011
