We were impressed with the preview images we saw from Tat Ito’s debut New York solo show, Momento Mori, at the Joshua Liner Gallery, but were still blown away after seeing the paintings in person at the opening. Ito’s new paintings retain much of what we loved in his previous work, such as the humorous and unique costumed characters and delicate silver-leafed backgrounds. However, with this collection, Ito has taken his art stylistically and thematically further than anything he has done previously .
Two pieces in particular exemplify Ito’s artistic growth. The wall-sized Butterfly (La Primavera) is without a doubt the star of the show. Its bubblegum pink background, multicolored dots and miniature butterfly figures all reference British art superstar Damien Hirst, while superimposed with a realistic and ornate landscape reminiscent of Baroque and Rococo painters of 18th century Europe. Nearly as impressive is Cosmos, Chrysanthemum and Dalmatian, a 15-foot gilded scroll-like painting, based on a 18th century Japanese artwork. Viewed right to left like Japanese writing, Ito depicts first blooming and then wilting chrysanthemums—the imperial seal of Japan, as well as the basis for Takashi Murakami’s ubiquitous happy flower characters; in addition, little men dressed as dalmatians run across and crudely “interact” with a blue balloon-dog and a discarded soup can, allusions to pop artists Jeff Koons and Andy Warhol.
We recommend you checking out Ito’s Momento Mori in person, but in the meantime, take a look at all our images from the opening, after the jump.
