Hiro Ando

" TARO" TAKATORA, 2017
Mix Media Stainsless Steel Polished and Resin Painted And Varnished, 50 x 30 x 30 cm

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About the artwork

"Taro" Takatora is Hidetora's eldest son and heir in Ran, Kurosawa's last epic. Hidetora Ichimonji, a powerful though now elderly warlord, decides to divide his kingdom among his three sons: Taro, Jiro, and Saburo. Taro, the eldest, will receive the prestigious First Castle and become leader of the Ichimonji clan, while Jiro and Saburo will be given the Second and Third Castles. Hidetora is to retain the title of Great Lord and Jiro and Saburo are to support Taro. Ando is internationally acclaimed for his sculptures and paintings with unexpected colors and surface treatments that conflate modern Japanese icons such "Hello Kitty", the Cat, the Panda, with traditional Samurai Warriors and the Sumo Wrestlers, creating a very contemporary dialogue between the past and present, East and West in very contemporary and unexpected ways that have made him one of the most notable Japanese Contemporary artists of his 1980's generation. Hiro Ando’s sculpture pays homage to the film ‘Ran’ by Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa which is often considered to be one of his finest achievements, and in which Jiro is the second son of the warlord Hidetora Ichimonji. The sculpture features a vivid red helmet, or Kabuto, worn by Samurais living in feudal Japan. Ando is renowned for his youthful neo-pop aesthetic, in which he creates a contemporary dialogue between past and present through his use of unexpected colours and surface treatments, such as steel. Through his colourful sculpture, Ando recontextualizes the Samurai warrior, an iconic symbol of Japan, within the culture of the modern day.



About the artist

Acquiring his degree from the University of Art, Hiro Ando began his prolific career in 1995 in Tokyo, depicting its nighttime urban landscape. With a lot of inspiration, the streets proved to be an endless source of material for his narratives which often included the red fish in addition to the urban background. The act of the red fish in his paintings greatly reminds of the ancient Japanese watercolor paintings, thus making his work permeated with both a contemporary and traditional feeling. With his artistic beginnings tied to illustration, he would draw several sketches before actually working on the canvas, and his practice has since spread to video material, digital support, and sculpture.


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