Tadanori Yokoo 1986

This striking artwork is by Tadanori Yokoo. Just look at the color: that bright red sun against the cool blue background. You can imagine the artist building up the layers, responding to each mark, each color, until the whole thing comes together. I wonder what Yokoo was thinking when he put that figure in the middle, carrying the world? It's heavy, right? And all around, there's this explosion of shapes and patterns, like a psychedelic dream. The dragon is my favorite! The paint looks quite thin, almost translucent in places, which gives it this otherworldly feel. The way he layers the images reminds me of collage, or even printmaking. There's definitely a conversation happening here between different ways of seeing and making. And that's what painting is, isn't it? A way to keep the conversation going, to explore, to question, and to keep things open.