Takeshi Kitano Exhibition in Paris

Takeshi Kitano Exhibition at Fondation Cartier Paris
10th September 2010
 (unfortunately this has just ended last week)

Exterior of the exhibition

inside

Anneke in front of the gallery

I went to Paris prior to my trip to Belgium specially for this exhibition.

Takeshi Kitano is one of the most famous celebrity comedians in Japan, more known as a film director outside Japan, my Belgian friend Anneke has been a huge Takeshi fan but didn't know that he was a comedian until she met me few years ago (she was quite shocked in fact).
I have grown up watching his funny TV shows such as Takeshi's castle (now known widely outside Japan, a TV show public people compete to fight with Takeshi via lots of his traps, what? never seen it? you should watch some clips here!) and Oretachi Hyokin-zoku (80's TV series of comedy sitcom, you can watch some clips also on the link), so if I wasn't living abroad where he is regarded more as a cult film director/artist, I would be quite surprised to hear that Fondation Cartier Paris has dedicated all their lovely space entirely to his artistic dispose. It must have cost them a lot to have this happen.
French people love Japanese culture and I can see why, as we both like subtle/poetic arts/literature/films, but the scale of this exhibition shows how French adore him so much.
The gallery itself is so lovely with lots of open outdoor space and open-spaced bright gallery.
The humour sense of Takeshi is surprisingly suitable for kids audience as Takeshi himself is a big child with massive mischievous mind (see Takeshi's TV shows in Japan is good examples where he wanted to "play" with lots of people just like we did some tricks to each other as kids, but in his case, the scale is big using tanks and buses to explode, making poor comedians bungee jump with stupid costumes on, pouring hot water in a bath tub as punishment from games, using Alligator or Scorpions to scare off participants of games  etc)




Here are some images from the exhibition.

The arrangements of the exhibition was impressive! Audience can participate in it, sound pieces are there to listen then you're invited to draw pictures inspired by the sounds, you can see how instant and spontaneous art can be by looking at balls running around by the electric vibration with inks spread all over to create rather Damien Hirst-esque painting in the process, and the piece where Takeshi himself visited the gallery and made some paintings by shooting ink in a gun like a painter-guerrilla (just like a shooting practice) to animal cut-outs canvases.

My favourites are the drawings from "Hana-bi" film he made during the time he was hospitalized with serious injury he had from a bike accident (when he had his face/skull severely injured that influenced these face-less paintings), these are very special and most vulnerable pieces for him I think, here he doesn't quite "hide" his pure and innocent artistic value behind his usual black humour/sense. They are so painfully pure.

I think, to be really funny and be the one who can really laugh or have child-like imagination, it takes guts and Takeshi's take on life shows that what appears plain stupid are stone serious as well as pure silly, just like a flip side of a coin, ultimately being inseparable things. He can deliver such simple but transcendental sphere and I call it a sheer artistic talent.