Poster on the theme 'Yume no Ukihashi' ('the floating bridge of dreams')

About / Biographic Information

Tadanori Yokoo is a celebrated self-educated designer and painter whose influential career spans nearly half a century. His work is deeply informed by Japanese traditions and pre-war culture, as well as the charms of international designers like Milton Glaser. During the 1970s and 1980s, his style became increasingly uninhibited, drawing from Dada, popular culture, and the supernatural. He has mastered diverse graphic techniques including black line-drawing and photomontage.

The 'Yume no Ukihashi' poster was created in 2001 for a performance at the National Noh Theatre (Kokuritsu Nogakudo).

Description

This poster features a dense and surreal montage that reflects the complexity of the Genji Monogatari. It prominently displays Noh masks set against a background of vibrant floral patterns and a dark, winding "path" filled with smaller figures, including animals and a skeleton at the bottom. The work exemplifies Yokoo’s ability to create images that are simultaneously "strident, funny, cosmic, and both representational and abstract".