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7. The Labyrinth of Arcimboldo

In one of Tanaami’s enigmatic childhood memories, he is in an air-raid shelter when a large B29 bomber roars overhead, then abruptly dives into a serpentine maze of alleyways and disappears. This surreal and dreamlike memory is connected to Tanaami’s fascination with labyrinths, mazes, and all that they imply. In such worlds as the Wonderland through which Alice wanders, the Palais Idéal singlehandedly built over 33 years by French postman Joseph Ferdinand Cheval, and the astounding composite portraits by the 16th-century Italian painter Giuseppe Arcimboldo and the Edo period (1603–1867) ukiyo-e artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Tanaami sees labyrinths that trick the mind like optical illusions. Tanaami has said that people are drawn to labyrinths and mazes by an inseparable blend of curiosity and fear, and that venturing into them is akin to getting a glimpse of one’s own psyche.

This section features sculptures inspired by Arcimboldo, whom Tanaami admires, as well as an installation replicating part of Tanaami’s studio (cat. 7-1). The walls of the studio are hung with original drawings inscribed with specifications of colors, and viewing the space is is a remarkable experience, like peeking directly into the artist’s mind. Here we also present drawings that are at the core of his practice, assemblages of multiple drawings with color indications on which his finished works are based, and completed posters. Winding our way through Tanaami’s labyrinthine mental circuitry provides intriguing insights into the creative processes behind his art.