Milk 1997

This is Tadanori Yokoo's "Milk," though I can't tell you exactly when he made it. Looking at this piece, I imagine a process of collage, screen printing, and digital manipulation—a real build-up of stuff. I feel a lot of sympathy for Yokoo as I look at this. The guy's a total image hoarder, just cramming it all in! He’s going for something over-the-top, mixing pop art with more serious or obscure references. I bet he had a blast throwing skeletons and pirate flags at the wall to see what stuck! I see the word "Milk" dripping like blood. It reminds me that, for painters, words aren't just words, they're shapes, they're feelings. Yokoo is in conversation with Warhol here, but also with the whole history of Japanese art. This piece embraces the kitchen sink approach, where everything is up for grabs and meanings are constantly shifting. Artists are constantly talking to each other across time, and this feels like Yokoo's way of joining in the conversation.