"A magazine that is packed to the brim with human interests and desires bears a strong resemblance to who I am as a person. My life is not a straight shot, with one central theme running through it like a book. It would be more properly called a ‘magazine editor's life', spent looking about at my surroundings constantly, wandering from place to place, engaging in a wide variety of work along the way." (Keiichi Tanaami)

The year was 1936: the February 26 Incident took place in Japan as German troops entered the Rhineland, sparking the flames of the Second World War, and it was in this year that Keiichi Tanaami was born the eldest son of a textile wholesaler in the Kyōbashi neighborhood of Tokyo.

In 1941, the Pacific War erupted after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, and Tanaami's birthplace was put in peril. The bombing of Tokyo began with a B29 on April 18, 1942, and Tanaami fled from Kyōbashi with his family, relocating to his grandfather's house in the Gonnosuke-zaka neighborhood of the Meguro ward. From the house bomb shelter, Tanaami witnessed the over one hundred firebombing attacks on Tokyo that continued until the war ended on August 15, 1945. Images seared into the back of his mind at this time would become major motifs in his art: roaring American bombers, Japanese searchlights scanning the skies, firebombs and flares dropped from planes, the city a sea of fire, fleeing masses, and the flashes of the bombs reflecting off of his grandfather's deformed goldfish swimming in its tank. Tanaami's experience of the war, and in particular this fish, are stored in his memory with the mystery of an illusion.

Tanaami's creative work continues to expand inexhaustibly to this day with paintings, sculptures, and animations. In DAYDREAM, an exhibition of new work at NANZUKA (2007), he presented a piece that acutely captured the figures of young girls wearing eccentric costumes, their miniskirts fluttering as they wander through Shibuya. "I exhibited close to fifty goldfish girls in sailor-style school uniforms at the solo exhibition held at the end of 2007. The drawings in the bright red room made to look like a fish tank are true to the image I had, an exact overlap with the deformed goldfish. The phenomena of the girls' transformation into goldfish deepens with each repeated reshaping, and ends in a perhaps unexpected way. The new quirk that emerges from projecting coquettish images of goldfish onto the bodies of the girls is an ever evolving aspect of one of my major motifs."

Kochuten (NANZUKA, 2009) featured a series of works that Tanaami had been working on for a long time, depicting a paradise that lay inside a calabash, as inspired by Chinese legends. "My latest paintings feature the calabash, which has absolutely nothing to do with Eros. This is because I am depicting in painting the ‘Kochuten' world, as inspired by ancient Chinese legends. During the Han Dynasty there lived an old medicine merchant who was actually an immortal mountain hermit, and when night fell he would jump into his calabash jug. Inside, there lay a dazzling, magnificent palace with countless pavilions stacked up to the sky. Within that tiny container, there opened up the enchanted land of the immortals, containing the entire universe — a Shangri-La that transcends space and time, the ultimate utopia."

This continues in Dividing Bridge (NANZUKA, 2011), centered on the theme of a bridge that connects this world with the next. "Long ago, it was commonly believed that there existed under the bridge what was, at any rate, a different world. As exemplified by the term ‘riverbed performer', there were strong ties there with the performing arts, and everything from street performances to kabuki shows took place there. The derogatory term ‘riverbed beggars' was also commonplace, and was deeply tied to the development of the theater. It was believed that this was another world, separate from reality and removed from any institution or established order. Dubious, eerie freak show huts lined the banks, with acts featuring freaks like the Long Neck Woman, the Snake Lady, and dwarves, exposing the underbelly of society as they bustled about in the darkness. That strange space with the bridge as its roof also served as a spot to hide dead bodies and as a secret gathering place for prostitutes. Troubled men and women would throw themselves from the parapets as the ultimate farewell in a lovers' suicide. At any rate, the connection with death is very strong, and that is one of the distinctive features of the bridge in Japan. For me, the profound and mystical world of the bridge poses a complex and haunting riddle. If the bridge is what divides this world from the afterworld, the border between the mundane and the divine, it must also be a place of meeting. Who is singing that song, faintly heard from the other side of the bridge? I want to find out. I will always be intrigued by the infinite darkness spreading out quietly beneath the bridge, the bottomless enigma hidden in that mysterious, strange space."

"Why does the impulse to paint arise? Even now I ponder that simple question. When I was a child, I had the most fun making pictures from what I remembered of movies and scenes I had just watched. At the time, my favorite character was Frankenstein as performed by Boris Karloff, the ‘King of Horror'. The sunken eyes, the drooping eyelids, the cylindrical electrodes embedded in both sides of his neck. The crown of his head flat as if the top part of his brain had been removed. I particularly liked the famous lake scene performed by Karloff, and I remember drawing it over and over. A young girl holding a kitten playfully tosses flowers into the lake with the monster. Soon the flowers are all gone and the monster, smiling, stretches his hands out toward the girl. Suddenly the scene cuts, leaving only the implication of the cruelty that would follow. With six crayons, I zealously colored in the monochromatic scene in primary colors. But I of course did not draw those two with the lake behind them exactly as I had seen them. Rather, I composed a surrealistic image, with Tarzan letting out a yell from the mountains on the opposite shore far away and crocodiles and the Creature from the Black Lagoon peeking their heads out from the lake. I layered on coats of crayon, starting to melt from my body heat, producing a thick matière similar to that of an oil painting; building the skin of the picture in that way gave me a rush of pleasure. The memory of that tactile sensation remains vivid, and even today I feel a physiological pleasure when I am layering on coats of paint. I cannot easily explain what the catalyst or motivation is for painting, and no matter how much I think about it I cannot find a precise answer. The only thing I am certain of is the impact of my childhood experiences. The subjects that are of interest to me – that indescribable sense of touch when layering coats of paints, the process of incorporating inspiration from movies into a painting – are the same for me to this day. My approach to painting hasn't changed at all since my childhood days."

Chronology

1936 - Born in Kyobashi, Tokyo, Japan.
1958 - Musashino Art University, Tokyo , Japan.
1975 - Art Director of "Monthly PLAYBOY" (Japanese Edition)
1991 - Professor of Kyoto University of Art and Design, where he is currently a chairperson of a Faculty of Information Design

Publications

2017
"Trompe-l'oeil Hatena-chan and the Forest of Wonder", sobokusha
"Amulet of the Tapir", HIOSHINA
"PSYCHEDELIC DEATH POP", HIOSHINA
"Perfect Cherry Blossom", Edition Patrick Frey
"TOKYO TATEBANKO", GINZA TSUTAYA BOOKS
"Dream on Dreamer", Tokyo Kirara-sha
"PARADISE OF EYES", LE DERNIER CRI
2016
"Dream Fragment", ele-king books
"Fragrance of Kogiku", ele-king books
2014
"DEATH BRIDGE", LE DERNIER CRI
"Birth and Death Bridge", United Dead Artists
2013
"KILLER JOE'S", Walther König / Contrarede
"No More War", Edition Patrick Frey
"glamour", ERECT Lab.
2011
"Hop Step Jump", Nieves / CaRTe bLaNChe
"Drawings and Collages 1967-1975", Gallerie Gebr. Lehmann / Koening Books
2010
"STRANGER THAN PHANTOM", co–author: Hiroshi Morinaga / Little More
"Werk no.18", WERK MAGAZINE
2009
"A PORTRAIT OF KEIICHI TANAAMI 14 FILMS 1975-2009", Chalet Pointu / CaRTe bLaNChe
"Kochuten", NANZUKA UNDERGROUND
2008
"HOTROD", HOTROD MAGAZINE
"COLORFUL", NANZUKA UNDERGROUND
2007
"DAYDREAM", Graphic-sha Publishing
2006
"KAMON", KING OF MOUNTAIN
"ggg Books-76 Keiichi Tanaami", Ginza Graphic Gallery
"Layers", Seigensha Art Publishing
2005
"spiral", Seigensha Art Publishing
2004
"BLOW UP-2", Seigensha Art Publishing
"Dream and Memory", STUDIO WARP
"PORTRAIT OF KEIICHI TANAAMI (1966) Reprinted Edition", Keiichi Tanaami Design Studio
"Keiichi Tanaami: Hyakka Kyoran", PRINTS 21
"WEEKLY TANAAMI", Keibunsha
2002
"Keiichi Tanaami - Animation Catalogue", Research Center for Information Design, Kyoto University of Art and Design
"AMIGOS", Gallery 360°
"KINGYO", Amus Arts Press
2001
"BLOW UP", Seigensha Art Publishing
1998
"Variation", Galerie Vivant
1996
"100 M Sightseeing _ Ideas for Information Design", Chikuma shobo
1994
"Keiichi Tanaami - Works of Print 1967-1994", Kawasaki City Museum
"Keiichi Tanaami Works of Drawing and Print", Irodori Museum
"Hollywood Stardust", Sanshindo Shuppan-sha
"Travel for Memories", Sanshindo Shuppan-sha
1992
"100 Images", Tom's Box
"The World of Keiichi Tanaami", Ikeda Museum of 20th Century Art
1991
"Blessing of the Forest", Sano Gallery
"Spiral Forest 2", Nogizaka Art Hall
1990
"The Work of Keiichi Tanaami", Sano Gallery
"Spiral Forest", Keiichi Tanaami Design Studio
1989
"Law of the Forest", Fusosha
1986
"Passage in the Air; Paradise of Keiichi Tanaami", Shueisha
"Hollywood Stardust", Image Forum
1984
Keiichi Tanaami 1979-1984, Keiichi Tanaami Design Studio
1978
"Cine Market of Keiichi Tanaami; Artificial Paradise", Hachiyo-sha
1975
"Far From the Film - Keiichi Tanaami", Image Forum
1974
"The World of Keiichi Tanaami", Rippu Shobo Publishing
"Pan Cake for Breakfast", Rippu Shobo Publishing
1971
"Celluloid Borin In America", Gallery Décor
1969
"Kyozo Mirai Zukan (Illustrated Book of Imaginary Tomorrow)", co-author: Eizaburo Hara, Bronze-sha
1966
"PORTRAIT OF KEIICHI TANAAMI", Keiichi Tanaami Design Studio
1963
"Tamago-gata (Egg Shape)", Modern Art Center

Selected Solo Exhibitions

2023
"PLESURE OF PICASSO", Almine Rech, Paris, France
"TANAAMI!! AKATSUKA!! That’s All Right!!", DAIKANYAMA TSUTAYA BOOKS, Tokyo, Japan
"That’ s All Right!!", PARCO MUSEUM TOKYO, Tokyo, Japan
2022
"Pleasure of Picasso Curated by NANZUKA", THE BRIDGE, Osaka, Japan
"A Mirror of the World", NANZUKA UNDERGROUND, Tokyo, Japan
"POP UP Keiichi Tanami x Parley for the Oceans", NANZUKA 2G, Tokyo, Japan
"A Mirror of the World (chap.2)", 3110NZ by LDH kitchen, Tokyo, Japan
"Manhattan Universe", Venus Over Manhattan, New York, NY, US
2021
"A peep into KEIICHI TANAAMI", NADiff Gallery、Tokyo, Japan
2020
"Memorial Reconstruction", NANZUKA, Tokyo, Japan
2019
"Paradise of Keiichi Tanaami Passage in the Air", Kawasaki City Museum, Kanagawa, Japan
"Keiichi Tanaami Great Journey", Ginza Graphic Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
"Keiichi Tanaami - In Cooperation with Fumetto Comic Festival Luzern", Kunstmuseum Luzern, Luzern, Switzerland
"Tanaami x adidas Originals", NANZUKA, Tokyo, Japan
2018
"Keiichi Tanaami Dialogue", Kyoto ddd gallery, Kyoto, Japan
"Keiichi Tanaami", Guangzhou K11, Guangzhou, China
"Keiichi Tanaami", Gallery Retara, Sapporo, Japan
"Perfect Cherry Blossom", NANZUKA, Tokyo, Japan
"Dream of Human Metamorphosis", Galerie Gebr. Lehmann, Dresden, Germany
2017
"Deformed Universe", BOOKMARC, Tokyo, Japan
"LAND OF MIRRORS", Gary Tatintsian Gallery, Moscow, Russia
"Amulet of the Tapir", NANZUKA, Tokyo, Japan
"Hammer Projects: Oliver Payne and Keiichi Tanaami", Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, US
"A Perfect Peach-Pink Day", Galerie Gebr. Lehmann, Berlin, Germany
2016
"DREAM FRAGMENT", Gallery 360゜, Tokyo, Japan
"The Laughing Spider", Karma International, Zurich, Switzerland
"BRIDGE", COURTYARD HIROO, Tokyo, Japan
"VISIBLE DARKNESS, INVISIBLE DARKNESS", Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York, US
2015
"Lost and Wandering Bridge", Gallery Retara, Sapporo, Japan
"Passage in the Air (1975-1993)", NANZUKA, Tokyo, Japan
"Collages", Corbett vs. Dempsey, Chicago, US
2014
"Cherry Blossoms Falling in the Evening Gloom", NANZUKA, Tokyo, Japan
"KEIICHI TANAAMI", Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York, US
"Death Bridge", AISHONANZUKA, HongKong
"Collages", Galerie Gebr. Lehmann, Berlin, Germany
"Clock Work Marilyn", Corbett vs. Dempsey, Chicago, US
2013
"Kannon of Beauty - Adventures in Beauty Wonderland", Sephora Meatpacking, New York, US
"Birth and Death Bridge", Mizuma Art Gallery Singapore, Singapore
"Keiichi Tanaami", Karma international, Zurich, Switzerland
"KILLER JOE'S (1965-1975)", Fondation Speerstra, Apples, Switzerland
"Tanaami Tee x 100", GALLERY SPEAK FOR, Tokyo, Japan
"No More War", KALEIDOSCOPE's project space, Milan, Italy
"KILLER JOE'S (1965-1975)", NANZUKA, Tokyo, Japan
"Burlesque", STUSSY Harajuku Chapter, Tokyo, Japan
"No More War", Schinkel Pavillon, Berlin, Germany
"Run&Roll TANAAMI KEIICHI x CW-X", Spiral Garden, Tokyo, Japan
2012
"Tanaami Tee x 100", valveat 81, Tokyo, Japan
"Tanaami Drawn Films", Galerie Gebr. Lehmann, Dresden, Germany
"Keiichi Tanaami", Corbett vs. Dempsey, Chicago, US
"NO More War - Sculpture works in 80's", STUDIOLO, Zurich, Switzerland
"New Animation and Drawings", NANZUKA, Tokyo, Japan
2011
"PERFECT CHERRY BLOSSOM (with Oliver Payne)", STUDIOLO, Zurich, Switzerland
"Drawings and Collages 1967-1975", Galerie Gebr. Lehmann, Berlin, Germany
"Dividing Bridge", NANZUKA UNDERGROUND, Tokyo, Japan
"Lost and Wandering Bridge" Series, NANZUKA UNDERGROUND, Tokyo, Japan
2010
"Wander in The Chaos World - Keiichi Tanaami's Fantastic World", OCT Art & Design Gallery, Shennan, China
2009
"Kochuten", NANZUKA UNDERGROUND, Tokyo, Japan
"SPIRAL 2", Galerie Gebr. Lehmann, Dresden, Germany
"Drowning by Drawing", galerie merkle, Stuttgart, Germany
"KANNOOON", NANZUKA UNDERGROUND, Tokyo, Japan
2008
"DAYTRIPPER", Art & Public-Cabinet PH, Geneva, Switzerland
"SPIRAL", Galerie Gebr. Lehmann, Berlin, Germany
"COLORFUL", NANZUKA UNDERGROUND, Tokyo, Japan
2007
"DAYDREAM", NANZUKA UNDERGROUND, Tokyo, Japan
2006
"TANAAMISM", Ginza Graphic Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
"Layers of Keiichi Tanaami", Gallery AUBE, Kyoto University of Art and Design, Kyoto, Japan
"KAMON", Paul Smith No.9 Albemarls Street Shop, London, CC:ROOM, Berlin, Germany, Someday Gallery, Melbourne, Australia
2005
"Keiichi Tanaami", Transplant Gallery, New York, US
"Films of Keiichi Tanaami and Graphic 100", the Norwegian International Film Festival, Haugesund, Norway
2004
"DISCO UNIVERSITY with Naohiro Ukawa", KPO Kirin Plaza Osaka, Osaka, Japan
"Tanaami's Beauty Parade", Gallery Naruyama, Tokyo, Japan
"Ascension Furniture", graf media gm, Osaka, Japan
"Ascension Furniture + Fantastic City", EX'REALM, Tokyo, Japan
"Big Playground City", IDEE, Kyoto, Japan
2003
"Collage of FLOWERS by Keiichi Tanaami", artspace Eumeria, Tokyo, Japan
"GET BACK", Gallery 360゜, Tokyo, Japan
2002
"Tactile Sensibility of the Age: Keiichi Tanaami Graphic Works 1967-2002", D's Gallery, Kyoto University of Art and Design, Kyoto, Japan
"3000 Drawings", Gallery 360゜, Tokyo, Japan
"Goldfish Lurking in a Glorious View", graf media gm, Osaka, Japan
"Keiichi Tanaami: Legends of Volupte 1971-2002", UPLINK FACTORY, Tokyo, Japan
2001
"BLOW UP" Launch Exhibition, Gallery 360゜, Tokyo, Japan
"Goldfish Exhibition", Tokyo International Forum, Exhibition space, Tokyo, Japan
2000
"Graphic Works in the 60s", Gallery 360゜, Tokyo, Japan
1998
"Variation by Dry-Point", Gallery Vivant, Tokyo, Japan
1996
"100 Prints",C-Square Gallery, Chukyo University, Aichi, Japan
1995
"Keiichi Tanaami Print Exhibition: Resembling", Gallery Vivant, Tokyo, Japan
"Keiichi Tanaami Print Exhibition: Travel for Memories", Bokushin Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
1994
"Works of Print 1967-1994", Kawasaki City Museum, Kanagawa, Japan
"Keiichi Tanaami's Film - Image of Memory", Main Theater, Kawasaki City Museum, Kanagawa, Japan
1992
"The World of Keiichi Tanaami", Ikeda Museum of 20th Century Art, Shizuoka, Japan
1991
"SPIRAL FOREST-2", Nogizaka Art Hall, Tokyo, Japan
"Keiichi Tanaami Print Exhibition - CELEBLATION OF THE FOREST", Muramatsu Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
1990
"LAW OF THE FOREST", Seibu Hall, Shiga, Japan
1989
"New Works of Keiichi Tanaami - LAW OF THE FOREST", Seed Hall, Tokyo, Japan
1987
"Keiichi Tanaami", Annecy Chateau Museum, Annecy, France
"THE HOUSE IN ACSENTION", Plus Minus Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
1986
"THE HOLLYWOOD STARDUST", Gallery 360゜, Yurakucho Asahi Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
"The World of Keiichi Tanaami - PASSAGE IN THE AIR", Seed Hall, Tokyo, Japan
1985
"HYAKKA RYORAN (Bright With All Sorts of Flowers) _ Keiichi Tanaami 60s Poster Exhibition", Gallery 360゜, Tokyo, Japan
1984
"BURNING IN THE EVENING SERIES", Gallery Vivant, Tokyo, Japan
1980
"GIKEIZUKAN (The Illustrated Book of Artificial View) SERIES", Gallery Vivant, Tokyo, Japan
1979
"ANOTHER PARADISE OF ARTIFICE SERIES", Ao Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
1977
"BOENKYO (The Mirror of Forgetting Childhood)" SERIES, Ao Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
1976
"YOUSHI KEI (Infantile Landscape) SERIES", Nishimura Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
1974
"SUPER ORANGE OF LOVE SERIES", Nishimura Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
1972
"Films by Keiichi Tanaami", Tenjo Sajiki Theater, Tokyo, Japan
"Clockwork Marilyn", Gallery Décor, Tokyo, Japan
1971
"CELLULOID BORN IN AMERICA", Gallery Décor, Tokyo, Japan
"Cinema Demonstration", Sogetsu Hall, Tokyo, Japan
1965
"SERIES ORDER MADE", Tsubaki Modern Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
1959
"Formative Art of Light by Metallic Art", Sato Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
1958
"Metallic Art for Open-air Murals", Muramatsu Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

Selected Group Exhibitions

2023
"TAGUKORE: Dunno A Thing About Art (But I Like It)", Kadokawa Culture Museum, Saitama, Japan
"Yasunao Tone: Region of Paramedia", ARTISTS SPACE, New York, NY, US
2022
"Group show 'for TZ'", NANZUKA UNDERGROUND, Tokyo, Japan
"Break down the former Fujio Pro Building!!", フジオプロ旧社屋 , Tokyo, Japan
"Image Forum Festival", SPIRAL, Tokyo, Japan
"Art Karnival", K11 MUSEA, Hong Kong
"Mickey Mouse Now and Future", Shinsaibashi PARCO, Osaka, Japan
2021
"I’m scared! The Horror of the Museum", Contemporary Art Museum, Kumamoto (CAMK),Kumamoto, Japan
"POP-ING NANZUKA at AKI Gallery", AKI Gallery, Taipei, TAIWAN
"Mickey: The True Original Ever-Curious", Yuz Museum, Shanghai, China
2020
"Underground of Diversity", Art Basel Miami Beach Online 2020
"JP POP UNDERGROUND", Shinsaibashi PARCO 14F, Osaka, Japan
"GROBAL POP UNDERGROUND", PARCO MUSEUM TOKYO, Tokyo, Japan
"POP IN Postwar Japanese Art", AKI GALLERY, Taipei, Taiwan
"More Than Cinema", Pioneer Works, New York, US
2019
"Wanderlust", PARCO MUSEUM TOKYO, Tokyo, Japan
"TOKYO POP UNDERGROUND", Jeffrey Deitch, LA, US
"TOKYO POP UNDERGROUND", Jeffrey Deitch, NY, US
"Animafest Zagreb", Zagreb, Croatia
"1968: Art in the Turbulent Age", Shizuoka Prefectural Museum of Art (Traveled), Shizuoka, Japan
"Taipei Dangdai", Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, Taipei, Taiwan
"Art Basel Hong Kong 2019", Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, Hong Kong
2018
"Mickey: The True Original Exhibition", New York, US
"1968: Art in the Turbulent Age", Chiba City Museum of Art (Traveled), Chiba, Japan
"EXPERIENCE POMMERY #4 // UNDERGROUND SPIRIT", DOMAINE POMMERY, Reims, France
"CONTEMPORARY CHIC -In Fasion Illustration-", Hankyu Umeda Gallery, Osaka, Japan
"Mangasia: Wonderlands of Asian Comics", Le Lieu Unique (Traveled), Nantes, France
"Mangasia: Wonderlands of Asian Comics", Villa Reale di Monza (Traveled), Monza, Italy
"Taking it Easy—The Secret Garden of Animation’s Wild Imagination", MOCA-Yinchuan, Yinchuan, China
"The House of Fame - Convened by Linder", Nottingham Contemporary, Nottingham, UK
"Emerald City", K11 Art Foundation, Hong Kong
2017
"Special exhibition Ultra Seven 70 CREATORS' SEVEN", PARCO MUSEUM, Tokyo, Japan
"Japanorama. A new vision on art since 1970", Centre Pompidou-Metz, Metz, France
"Mangasia: Wonderlands of Asian Comics", Palazzo Delle Esposizioni, Roma, Italy
"THE ART SHOW – Art of the New Millennium in Taguchi Art Collection", The Museum of Modern Art Gunma, Gunma, Japan
"CONTEMPORARY ART, NOW! FROM YAYOI KUSAMA TO HIRAKI SAWA", Onomichi City Museum of Art, Hiroshima, Japan
"Encounters Festival", Bristol, UK
"GLOBAL NEW ART – The Essence of Taguchi Art Collection", Woodone Museum, Hiroshima, Japan
"Unusual Contemporary Asian Exhibition Opens at Ramapo College", Mafa, US
"The Encyclopedia of Masamichi Katayama - Life is hard... Let's go shopping.", operacity art gallery, Tokyo, Japan
"Hot Mess", Karma International, Los Angeles, US
"Ambiguously Yours: Gender in Hong Kong Popular Culture", M+ Pavilion, Hong Kong
"International Short Film Festival Oberhausen", Oberhausen, Germany
"Sundance Film Festival", Park City, US
2016
"London International Animation Festival", London, UK
"St.Louis International Film Festival", St.Louis, US
"Trans Kyoto: Keiichi Tanaami x Keiji Ito - The Collaged Memories", ISETAN The Japan Store Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
"Geneva International Animation Film Festival", Geneva, Switzerland
"THE SECRET LIFE OF THE PENCIL", Paul Smith SPACE GALLERY, Tokyo, Japan
"Vancouver International Film Festival", Vancouver, Canada
"L'Étrange Festival", Paris, France
"Passion: Fan Behaviour and Art", Ludwig Museum - Museum of Contemporary Art, Budapest, Hungary
"International Pop", Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, US
"MYSTIFIERS", National Centre for Contemporary Arts, Moscow, Russia
"ALLOY & PEACE", Spiral Garden, Tokyo, Japan
"Rotterdam International Film Festival", Rotterdam, Netherlands
"Eyes Go Pop: Psychedelic Japan", Tate Modern, London, UK
2015
"Akatsuka Fujio no gendai bichutsu ten", BANK GALLERY, Tokyo, Japan
"Unorthodox", The Jewish Museum, New York, US
"The World Goes Pop", Tate Modern, London, UK
"Various Artists - Before the GIF", High Line Channel 14, New York, US
"Taro Okamoto and Masayoshi Nakamura - Tokyo", Toyohashi City Museum Art & history, Aichi; Taro Okamoto Museum of Art, Kanagawa, Japan
"Passion : Fan Behaviour and Art", Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin ; Kunsthaus Nürnberg, Nürnberg, Germany
"OUTDOOR", WARM São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
"International Pop", Walker Art Center, Minneapolis ; Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, US
"Art After Dark - Keiichi Tanaami x Chen Tianzhou", KALEIDOSCOPE Pop-up gallery, Singapore
"Looking Back / The 9th White Columns Annual - Selected by Cleopatra's", White Columns, New York, US
2014
"COLORED NOISE for 8/02/CUBE1,2,3", Shibuya Hikarie 8/CUBE, Tokyo, Japan
"Graphic film about the work of Sigmar Polke", les Abattoir, Toulouse, France
"Artists'Film Club: Colour", Institute of Contemporary Arts [ICA], London, UK
"HETA-UMA", Musée International des Arts Modestes [MIAM], Sète, France
"MANGARO – GARO magazine rebelle", Friche la Belle de Mai, Marseille, France
"Puddle, pothole, portal", Sculpture Center, New York, US
"DOMMUNE University of the Arts -Tokyo Arts Circulation-", 3331 Arts Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan
"KNOCK! KNOCK!", Galleria Javier Lopez, Madrid, Italy
"Archipelagoes", Mizuma Art Gallery Singapore, Singapore
2013
"Holland Animation Film Festival", Utrecht, Netherlands
"Japanese Underground Cinema Program 6 : Radical Experiments in Japanese Animation", The Museum of Modern Art[MoMA], New York, US
"London International Animation Festival", London, UK
"ANIMASIVO, Mexico City Contemporary Animation Festival", Mexico City, Mexico
"Fantoche – International Animation Film Festival", Baden, Switzerland
"KLIK! Amsterdam Animation Festival", Amsterdam, Netherlands
"CutOut Fest 2013", Querétaro, US
"Ausweitung der Kampfzone: Die Sammlung 1968 - 2000", Nationalgalerie im Hamburger Bahnhof - Museum für Gegenwart, Berlin, Germany
"Animated Dreams - Animation Film Festival", Tallinn, Estonia
"Eyeworks Festival of Experimental Animation", Chicago, US
"NOW JAPAN", Kunsthal KAdE, Amsterdam, Netherlands
"THE SECRET SEA", Onomichi City Museum of Art, Hiroshima, Japan
"KABOON!", Neues Museum Weserburg Bremen, Baden, Switzerland
Shibuya PARCO 40th anniversary exhibition "SHIBUPARU – TEN", Shibuya PARCO MUSEUM, Tokyo, Japan
"Gallery Show", AISHONANZUKA, Hong Kong, China
2012
"Holland Animation Film Festival", Utrecht, Netherlands
"Vladivostok International Film Festival", Vladivostok, Russia
"Worldwide Short Film Festival", Toronto, Canada
"Rotterdam International Film Festival", Rotterdam, Netherlands
"Los Angeles Animation Festival", Los Angeles, US
"Annecy Film Festival 2012", Annecy, France
"Linoleum International Film Festival", Moscow, Russia
"Fantoche - International Animation Film Festival", Baden, Switzerland
"The Singapore Show: Future Proof", Singapore Art Museum, Singapore
"G-tokyo 2012", Mori Arts Center Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2011
"JAPANCONGO: Carsten Höller’s double-take on Jean Pigozzi’s collection", CNAC (Centre National d’Art Contemporain) - Le Magasin, Grenoble; Garage Center for Contemporary Culture, Moscow
"THE 29TH FESTIVAL TOUS COURTS", Aix-en-Provence, France
"Vancouver International Film Festival", Vancouver, Canada
"INVIDEO Milan International Experimental Film Festival", Milan, Italy
"Plastic Paper: Winnipeg's Festival of Animated, Illustrated + Puppet Film", Winnipeg, Canada
"Animated Dreams - Animation Film Festival", Tallinn, Estonia
"KIRIN Big In Japan", Melbourne, Australia
"Blue Sunshine", Montreal, Canada
"JALAPAGOS", Mitsubishi Estate ARTIUM, Fukuoka, Japan
"5 screenings of films by Keiichi Tanaami", MUDAM - Museum of Modern Art, Luxembourg
"ANGURA!", Toronto, Canada
"Le Cabaret Vert", Charleville-Mézières, France
"Yokohama Triennale", Yokohama Museum of Art, Kanagawa, Japan
2010
"Ottawa International Animation Festival", Ottawa, Japan
"Holland Animation Film Festival", Utrecht, Netherlands
"Eccentric City - Rise and Fall - ", LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore
":PhunkTanaaMIX", Art Seasons, Singapore
"JALAPAGOS", TOKYO DESIGNERS WEEK, Tokyo, Japan
2009
"Stuttgart Festival of Animated Film", Stuttgart, Germany
"DREAM EMPIRE", Paul Smith SPACE GALLERY, Tokyo, Japan
2007
"Rock'n Roll Vol.1", Norrköpings Art Museum, Norrköpings, Sweden
"Rock'n Roll Vol.2", Sorlanders Art Museum, Norway
"Pulp 11", Kistefos Museet, Jevnaker, Norway
"ShContemporary", NANZUKA UNDERGROUND, Tokyo, Japan
2006
"Festival de Cinema Japones – Nippon Koma Exhibition", Portugal
"Spoltore Ensemble 2005", Pescara, Italy
2005
"Melbourne International Film Festival", Melbourne, Australia
2004
"The 50th Oberhausen International Short Film Festival", Oberhausen, Germany
"Rotterdam International Film Festival", Rotterdam, Netherlands
"Vancouver International Film Festival", Vancouver, Canada
2003
"Rotterdam International Film Festival", Rotterdam, Netherlands
"Image Forum Festival 2003", Park Tower Hall, Tokyo, Japan
"Nashville Independent Film Festival", Nashville, US
"Keiichi Tanaami + Nobuhiro Aihara Animation Battle in Kyoto", Centro Culturale Italo Giapponese, Kyoto, Japan
"London International Film Festival", London, UK
"Seihou Takeuchi VS Keiichi Tanaami", ALBION Art Museum, Nara, Japan
2002
"Opt Mannierism Theater of Light Bands", Theater Image Forum, Tokyo, Japan
"Image Experience Museum; Japanese Experimental Films '50s–'70s", Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, Tokyo, Japan
"Keiichi Tanaami + Nobuhiro Aihara Animation Battle in Kyoto", AV Hall Kyoto University of Art and Design, Kyoto, Japan
"Hiroshima International Animation Festival", Aster Plaza, Hiroshima, Japan
"Vancouver International Film Festival", Vancouver, Canada
"Holland International Animation Film Festival", Utrecht, Netherlands
2001
"VERSUS VOL.3 Keiichi Tanaami VS Naohiro Ukawa", depot, Japan
2000
"JAGDA Poster Exhibition-DESIGN 2000", International Design Center, Aichi; Museum of Fine Arts, Gifu, Japan
"The 6th Mumbai International Documentary, Short Films, Animation Film Festival", Mumbai, India
"Japanese Short Animation", France Culture Center, New Delhi, India
"Image Forum Festival 2000", Park Tower Hall, Tokyo; Yokohama Museum of Art, Kanagawa; Goethe - Institut, Osaka, Japan
"Period of Nissenbi: Japanese Graphic Design 1951-70", Ginza Graphic Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
1999
"OPTICAL SYNSESIS - New Psychedelic and Virtuality", Image Forum, Tokyo, Japan
1998
"The 28th Finland Tampere International Short Film Festival", Tampere, Finland
"Art of the 20th Century; East and West", Ikeda Museum of 20th Century Art, Shizuoka, Japan
"1960s=Legendary Era – Experimental Films Ever Seen", Yokohama Museum of Art, Kanagawa, Japan
"Visual Expansion of Photography", National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, Korea
1997
"Hizikata Tsutsumi: Art and Dance", Ikeda Museum of 20th Century Art, Shizuoka, Japan
1996
"Prints of the 70s", Shoto Museum of Art, Tokyo, Japan
"Experiencing Art 1996; Survival Tools Designed by Artists", Sakura City Museum of Art, Chiba, Japan
1995
"Many Kinds of Flowers", SUNTORY Museum, Osaka, Japan
"67 Graphic Sharaku", Shibuya PARCO Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
"Japanese Experimental Animation", Yokohama Museum of Art, Kanagawa, Japan
"Traces of Postwar Culture - Film History of Postwar 50 Years", Arena Hall, ACROS Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan
1994
"History and Perspective of Imaging Arts", International Newspaper Hall, Seoul, Korea
"Contemporary Japanese Animation", High Museum of Art, Georgia, US
"The 40 Years History of Japanese Experimental Films", KPO Kirin Plaza, Osaka, Japan
"Postwar Japanese Avant-garde Art", Yokohama Museum of Art, Kanagawa, Japan
1992
"Aspects of a Small Group: Formation of the Postwar Art 1961-1969", Muramatsu Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
"From the History of Postwar Art - Chiba City's New Permanent Collection", Chiba Citizens' Gallery, Chiba, Japan
"ADAM & EVE (Magnetic Field of Sex)", Museum of Modern Art, Saitama, Japan
"Retrospective 17 Years-50 Worlds of Beauty", Ikeda Museum of 20th Century Art, Shizuoka, Japan
1991
"Art is Fun-2", Hara Museum ARC, Gunma, Japan
1990
"Design Specimen of the Last Dacade 1990", Matsuya, Tokyo, Japan
"Genealogy of Optical Movie", Museum of Modern Art, Saitama, Japan
1989
"Polaroidart", Seed Hall, Tokyo, Japan
1988
"Evolution of Animation Movie – Japanese Experimental Animation Today", O Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan
1987
"Annecy Animation International Film Festival", Annecy, France
"Paper Work Exhibition", Pinacotheca Gallery, Melbourne, Australia
"Japanese Illustration 1987", Seibu Art Forum, Tokyo, Japan
"Japanese Avant-garde Art, History of Experimental Film", Pompidou Center, Paris, France
"Poster Japan: Establishment and Development of Graphic Design", Nerima Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan
1986
"Mannheim International Film Festival", Mannheim, Germany
1985
"The 4th Experimental Film Festival", Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art, Hyogo, Japan
"Japanese Experimental Film – Tour Program", Mid-west Film Center, Chicago, US
"CONTINUUM '85 - Japanese Contemporary Art Australian Tour Program", Pinacotheca Gallery, Melbourne; BM Gallery, Kanagawa
"Japanese Avant-garde of Future", Genova, Italy
"Osnabruck Experimental Film Workshop", Osnabruck, Germany
"Museum Theater – An Approach to the New Image, Twenty Five Years of Japanese Experimental Film", Museum of Modern Art, Saitama, Japan
"1964-1984 Japanese 20 Years of Cinema", Australia Film Institute, Melbourne, Australia
1984
"Osnabrück Experimental Film Festival - Experimental Film Workshop", Osnabruck, Germany
"Contemporary Japanese Poster", York University Art Gallery, Toronto, US; Stratford City Art Museum, Stratford, UK
"The 38th Edinburgh International Film Festival", Edinburgh, Scotland
"Mannheim International Film Festival", Mannheim, Germany
"Today's Japanese Posters", Art Curial, Paris, France
1983
"The 7th Hong Kong International Film Festival - Japanese Experimental Film Program", Hong Kong City Hall, Hong Kong, China
"Japanese Experimental Film Show", Chicago, US
"The 2nd Contemporary Art Festival: Art & Technology", The Museum of Modern Art Toyama, Toyama, Japan
"The 3rd Australian Film Conference", Melbourne, Australia
1982
"Today's Illustration", Miyagi Museum of Art, Miyagi, Japan
"Invitation to Experimental Film - The Radicalism of Image Art", Fukuoka Art Museum, Fukuoka, Japan
"20 Years of Japanese Experimental Film", Miyagi Museum of Art, Miyagi, Japan
"In Search of the Museum of Tomorrow", Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Modern Art, Hyogo, Japan
1981
"Japan Today", ICA Gallery, London, UK
"Rotterdam International Film Festival", Rotterdam, Netherlands
"International Colorado Invitation Poster Exhibition", Clara Hatten Gallery, Colorado, US
"Today's Japanese Poster", Santa Rosa Junior College Museum, Santa Rosa, US
1980
"China Town Fantasia", Laforet Harajuku, Tokyo, Japan
"The Labyrinth of Creation", Seibu Museum of Art, Tokyo, Japan
1979
"Contemporary Japanese Animation – THE MAGICIANS IN DREAM, LAUGHTER AND ILLUSION", Fukui Fine Arts Museum, Fukui, Japan
"New Japanese Animation", Film Forum, Japan Society, New York, US
"Art Pop", Ikebukuro PARCO, Tokyo, Japan
"The 3rd Lahti International Poster Biennale", Lahti Art Museum, Lahti, Finland
"Baghdad International Invitation Poster Exhibition", Baghdad, Iraq
"The 4th Underground Cinema New Works Exhibition", Asahi Seimei Hall, Tokyo, Japan
"The 3rd London International Avant-Garde Film Festival", London, UK
1978
"Quebec International Art Critics Film Festival", Quebec, Canada
"The 8th Brno International Graphic Biennale", Brno, Czech Republic
"JUST ANIMATION", Shibuya PARCO Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
"Modern Satirical Drawings and Various Expression of Today", Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan
"The 7th Warszawa International Poster Biennale", Warszawa, Poland
"Rostock International Invitation Posters", Rostock Museum, Rostock, Germany
"Japanese Experimental Cinema", Pompidou Center, Paris, France
"Colorado International Invitation Poster", University of Colorado, Colorado, US
"Japanese Experimental Cinema", The Museum of Modern Art[MoMA], New York, US
1977
"Media Art", Seibu Museum of Art, Tokyo, Japan
"Private Film 1967-1977", Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan
"THE PRINTS – What is Plant?", Shibuya PARCO Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
1976
"Oberhausen International Short Film Festival", Oberhausen, Germany
"New York Film Festival", New York, US
"Elites of Today", Central Museum, Tokyo, Japan
"Ottawa International Animation Film Festival", Ottawa, Canada
1975
"Far From Cinema-Film Exhibition/Keiichi Tanaami + Toshio Matsumoto", Seibu Theater, Tokyo; Yasuda Seimei Hall, Tokyo, Japan
"The 3rd Underground Cinema New Works Exhibition", Yasuda Life Hall, Tokyo, Japan
"Oberhausen International Short Film Festival", Oberhausen, Germany
1974
"Laboratory of Image by Japanese Contemporary Artists", São Paulo Museum of Contemporary Art, São Paulo, Brazil
"The 6th Brno International Graphic Biennale", Brno, Czech
"New Japanese Avant-Garde Cinema", Millennium Theater, New York, US
1973
"The 1st Underground Cinema New Works Exhibition", Yasuda Life Hall, Tokyo, Japan
1972
"Grabbing Films - Video Week", American Center, Tokyo, Japan
1971
"The 3rd Sogetsu Animation Festival", Sogetsu Hall, Tokyo, Japan
1970
"Posters of Contemporary Japan", Durham University, Durham, UK
"COMMERCIAL GRAPHIC", Melton Gallery, Tronto, Canada
1966
"The 2nd Sogetsu Animation Festival", Sogetsu Hall, Tokyo, Japan
"The 2nd Brno International Graphic Biennale", Brno, Czech
1965
"The 1st Sogetsu Animation Festival", Sogetsu Hall, Tokyo, Japan
1962
"The 14th Yomiuri Independent Exhibition", Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan
1958
"The 10th Yomiuri Independent Exhibition", Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan
1957
"The 9th Yomiuri Independent Exhibition", Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan

Collections

The Museum of Modern Art [MoMA], US
Walker Art Center, US
The Art Institute of Chicago, US
National Portrait Gallery, US
M+[Museum for Visual Culture], HongKong
Friedrich Christian Flick Collection, Switzerland
Nationalgalerie im Hamburger Bahnhof - Museum fur Gegenwart Berlin, Germany
Kawasaki City Museum, Japan
Ikeda Museum of 20th Century Art, Japan
The Tokushima Modern Art Museum, Japan
The Chateau d'Annecy, France
Jean Pigozzi Collection
Yokohama Museum of Art, Japan
Singapore Art Museum, Singapore
Takamatsu Art Museum, Japan
The World Children's Art Museum in Okazaki, Japan
Chiba City Museum of Art, Japan
Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art, Japan
Musashino Art University Library, Japan
Junior College of Sapporo Otani University Library, Japan
Tokyo Zokei University, Japan
Kyushu Institute of Design, Japan
Fukuoka City Public Library, Japan
Institut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia
Santa Rosa Junior College Art Gallery, Santa Rosa, US
University of Genoa, Italy
Mid-west Film Center, US
Colorado State University, US
Stratford City Museum, Canada
Center for Contemporary Graphic Art, Japan
Crossman Gallery - Greenhill Center of the Arts, University of Wisconsin, US
Bundeswehr Military History Museum, Germany

Books from Keiichi TANAAMI