Artist banaii Unveils New Abstract Paintings at Roppongi's Tsutaya Bookstore
The COMME des GARCON collaborator returns with over 50 dynamic works.
baanai is an artist from Kanagawa, Japan who creates paintings that feature calligraphy, geometric shapes and colorful spatter. Oftentimes, the artist’s background imagery in his vivid compositions appear as idyllic scenes, perhaps, gleaning inspiration from Monet’s impressionist landscapes. What makes his paintings different from the pioneering 20th century French painter is baanai’s text impositions in the style of graffiti scrawling that elevates the dynamism in his pieces.
The artist rose to prominence in 2015 after being discovered by Rei Kawakubo of COMME des GARCONS who enlisted baanai to create original artwork for a series of one-off apparel collaborations. Across his dynamic paintings, the artist often paints the phrase “ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU” which is an expression of “Thank You” in Japanese.
The Tsutaya Bookstore in Tokyo’s Roppongi district is currently hosting a solo exhibition of new original works by banaii. Titled “DOUBLE BED GALLERY,” the presentation consists of over 50 works, most of which have never been displayed publicly. The paintings draw inspiration from the artist’s personal experiences and interests. For example, one work titled DON’T LOOK BACK IN ANGER pays homage to the iconic song by Oasis.
View select works from baanai’s “DOUBLE BED GALLERY” solo exhibition at the Tsutaya Bookstore in Roppongi above. The presentation is on view until January 17, 2021.
Elsewhere in art, KAWS launched a new edition of augmented reality artworks called VOTE HIM OUT with Acute Art.
Tsutaya Bookstore
Roppongi Hills
Roppongi Keyakizaka Street, 6-11-1,
Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 106-0032
Japan
