Taro Yakumo

This series of works is composed of samplings of hashtags and icons used in SNS, which have become commonplace in modern society. I incorporate trendy words and images that symbolize the modern society we live in today. The words vividly reflect the times and express the ever-changing, real and speedy present. He paints acrylic paints and craypas directly onto the canvas with his bare hands, creating a layered base to create a wall-like texture, and then uses stencils to draw words and icons.

When I visited galleries in Chelsea during my stay in New York, I was bewildered by the many spaces and works of art that claimed to be contemporary art, but did not give the impression of such art at all. In such a situation, while I was looking at the various billboards and neon signs that proliferated in the city, their texture and presence seemed much more like contemporary art. This series has an atmosphere that reminds me of the 90's somehow. In this series, there is a longing for the charm of America that I have had since I was a child, and also a challenge.