Tanikawa Shuntaro
14 Jan - 25 Mar 2018
TANIKAWA SHUNTARO
13 January – 25 March 2018
Tanikawa Shuntaro made a striking debut in 1952 with his anthology of poems entitled Two Billion Light-Years of Solitude. His upbeat, unencumbered style steered away from sentimentality and despair, resonating with the hearts and minds of Japanese people as they attempted to redefine their lives and way of living after the war. Tanikawa went on to become famous for writing the lyrics for the Astro Boy theme song, his translations of The Songs of Mother Goose and the Peanut Books comics that feature Snoopy and other characters, his screenplay for the Tokyo Olympiad movie and his collaborations with Takemitsu Toru and other musicians. Now 85 years old, his fresh and vibrant language continues to gel with the feelings of his readers, conjuring up pictures of his daily life as an ordinary member of Japanese society.
In addition to introducing the wide range of Tanikawa’s work, this exhibition examines documents and items from his childhood, looking at his relationships with friends and his favourite music and collections in an attempt to explore the origins of his life as a poet. The exhibition also showcases Tanikawa’s current work by presenting new poems written for the occasion and the results of collaborations with musician Oyamada Keigo (Cornelius) and interface designer Nakamura Yugo. Above all, it provides an opportunity to re-discover yourself through the words of Tanikawa Shuntaro.
13 January – 25 March 2018
Tanikawa Shuntaro made a striking debut in 1952 with his anthology of poems entitled Two Billion Light-Years of Solitude. His upbeat, unencumbered style steered away from sentimentality and despair, resonating with the hearts and minds of Japanese people as they attempted to redefine their lives and way of living after the war. Tanikawa went on to become famous for writing the lyrics for the Astro Boy theme song, his translations of The Songs of Mother Goose and the Peanut Books comics that feature Snoopy and other characters, his screenplay for the Tokyo Olympiad movie and his collaborations with Takemitsu Toru and other musicians. Now 85 years old, his fresh and vibrant language continues to gel with the feelings of his readers, conjuring up pictures of his daily life as an ordinary member of Japanese society.
In addition to introducing the wide range of Tanikawa’s work, this exhibition examines documents and items from his childhood, looking at his relationships with friends and his favourite music and collections in an attempt to explore the origins of his life as a poet. The exhibition also showcases Tanikawa’s current work by presenting new poems written for the occasion and the results of collaborations with musician Oyamada Keigo (Cornelius) and interface designer Nakamura Yugo. Above all, it provides an opportunity to re-discover yourself through the words of Tanikawa Shuntaro.