Very Special Celebration 1980

Hiro Yamagata made this image, Very Special Celebration, with who knows what, maybe air and dreams. The whole thing looks like it’s been sprinkled with fairy dust, a proper party. Look at the surface. The layers of color give the impression of a thousand tiny details. All those hats and flags, balloons and boats! Is this how Yamagata sees the world, a joyous kaleidoscope of color and form? It feels like a celebration of sight itself, a party in paint. And what’s with the bubbles? Are they real or imagined, or a little bit of both? The whole composition reminds me of Red Grooms, if he’d got into pointillism, perhaps. The exuberance, the sheer glee of mark-making. It's a reminder that art doesn't always have to be serious; sometimes, it can be a party, a special celebration of the senses, an invitation to see the world with new eyes.