Library Reviews
Okamoto Art – Works of Taro Okamoto 1911-1996
Available for browsing. Not for loan until after the associated Talk Series on March 13, 14.
An exploration of the career of maverick artist Okamoto Taro. His life was one of diverse artistic pursuits that would culminate in his defining work, The Tower of the Sun. This was the centrepiece of the 1970 Osaka Expo, an imposing 70 metre tall structure that became an enduring image for a generation of Japanese and beyond.
Okamoto’s lifetime of artistic output would span numerous mediums. In this A4 sized book, Akiomi Hirano guides readers on a retrospective covering all periods of Okamoto’s career. The earliest included example is a work that 14 year old Okamoto completed during high school. In the 1930s, at age 18 he moved to Paris and was exposed to a confluence of art movements. After the war he would produce photography (including that of historical Jomon earthenware), ceramic sculpture, murals plus other large scale, three dimensional works.
In parallel, Okamoto’s studio would at first be a nexus for discussion within the art community of Japan. Eventually he would breakaway from standard practice at the time and become and active artist independent of affiliation to an establish art association.
20th Century Boys
A group of midlife friends begin to suspect that their half remembered after school escapades are being recreated in a twisted, murderous manner. An epic urban fantasy adventure rooted in the near past. Featuring the real Tower of the Sun, but in a horrific, imagined role.
This sprawling tale unfolds over a span of decades but concentrates on roughly three distinct time periods. Events roughly begin in the 60s with Kenji and his buddies enjoying typical boyhood activities like exploring, evading bullies, concocting secret plans and hanging out in makeshift forts with smuggled Heibon Punch magazines. Fast forward to modern times and the grown up kids lead comparatively mundane adult lives. That’s until one day when society is disrupted by crimes that Kenji suspects are related to adventures from their childhood. The final stanza takes place about a decade and a half later when the repercussions of the previous showdown escalate.
Expo’70 Official Guide
Available for browsing. Not for loan until after the associated Talk Series on March 13, 14.
55 years ago, this guide book would have been indispensable to English speaking tourists as they made their way around Expo 70 in Osaka.
Beginning in some short weeks, Osaka’s 2025 World Expo will begin. It is the third time the city will have hosted the event, an association that began with the 1970 event and which proved a cultural touchstone. From an age when foreign places were more glamourous and inaccessible, this was as if both the world and the future had come to Japan.
Predating the modern Olympic Games, World Expositions (World’s Fairs) are gatherings held every five years that last up to six months. On display are technological innovations, culture and industry from around the globe. Countries are allocated a pavilion which varies in size and area and could become host to unique and spectacular creations. Australia constructed a 10-storey wave like tower from which dangled a cymbal like roof.
