Art That Makes You Cry Out — Dai Ah!!rt Exhibition
The Dai Ah!!rt Exhibition, now a regular art program produced by Fuji Television, was held at Seibu Shibuya. The full title is “Art That Makes You Cry Out — Dai Ah!!rt Exhibition.” Launched several years ago, the project was previously staged under the title “Ah-ho!”
This show, too, is produced by broadcast writer Mitsuru Kuramoto. It is a delightful art project that brings together works full of surprise, emotion, and humor — the kind that make you unconsciously blurt out “Ah!!” The show applies the “Ah-ho” filter, a playful spin on the Osaka-dialect praise word “ahoya na~” (“what a fool ~”), to add a witty retort to the works of emerging creators. This not only makes each artist’s originality even more striking but also brings the essence of their work to the surface.
LEE KAN KYO
The artist showing the “flyer works” that leave a strong impression at first glance in the “Dai Ah!!rt Exhibition” is LEE KAN KYO. Originally from Taiwan, he is based in Japan.
The credit “Why would you paint this?!” makes you nod along — but it’s true, this is not something a Japanese artist would come up with. It was striking to see visitors drawing in with curiosity and staring intently at each and every piece. It even looked funny, like a crowd of young women flocking to a sale (lol).
The originals are hard to reach in price, but he also seems to sell versions printed on large-format paper.
https://leemanshop.com/
He is also apparently holding a solo show at Seikosha, a bookstore in Kyoto. That exhibition seems to feature works in the same illustration style, with covers of weekly magazines and the like as motifs.
Definitely one to keep an eye on!
The work makes you wonder what art really is, but it’s funny how a foreign artist can pop-mimic emblems of Japanese culture. It felt like being taught how varied our ways of perceiving things can be, and it turned into a work full of insights.
