Taro Okamoto: The Road to the Tower of the Sun

I went to see the exhibition “Taro Okamoto: The Road to the Tower of the Sun”, which is being held at The Niigata Bandaijima Art Museum until March 7, 2021.

Taro Okamoto (1911-1996) was a Japanese comtemporary artist famous for “the Tower of the Sun”, which was a symbol structure of the “Osaka Expo” in 1970. Its restoration was completed in 2018 and visitors can once again see inside it at the Expo ’70 Commemoration Park in Osaka.

As part of the exhibition, miniature models of both the inside and outside of the tower are on display along with some of his other works, through which we can feel his passion and energy.

He often said “Art is an explosion!” In the exhibition, we can learn how he was inspired by Japanese traditional customs and prayers such as those from the Tohoku region or southern islands, which have been continued since the primitive age. He felt passion and energy in those places.

The sophisticated nature of Japan’s aesthetic such as “wabi and sabi” does not represent everything. He was an artist who found beauty among ordinary people and their lives. The exhibition of Taro Okamoto taught me about his deep thoughts expressed through his artwork.

*   Photos are allowed in most parts of this exhibition, so I have been able to include some photos with this article.