Hikawa Shrine 1996

Tadanori Yokoo made this, Hikawa Shrine, by some means I can’t quite put my finger on. Look at this mad layering of images and colours. It’s as if he’s rummaged through every discarded print in the shop and decided to use ‘em all. I love how the horse is roughly stenciled in grey, and the rider on top is much more carefully described, but there's something that doesn't quite sit right, as if the horse is about to collapse under the weight of the rider. This strange registration gives the whole image this nervous energy, the figures seem to be popping right out of the painting's surface. The painting seems to be bursting with details, but when you break it down, it’s actually pretty basic in its approach to mark making. Yokoo is one of those image makers that makes you question the nature of originality, it's almost like he's asking, what is an image? A feeling? A vibe? Maybe he and Peter Saul should get together, they would have a lot to talk about.