| 1974 |
Born in Tokyo Japan |
| 1994-98 |
Kobe Design University(industrial & interior design) |
Selected Solo Exibitions
| 2003. 1-2 |
Beams Japan B-GALLERY (Tokyo) |
| 2006. 2-4 |
Beams Fukuoka Cafe-GALLERY (Fukuoka) |
| 2007. 1 |
GALLERY Shorewood (Tokyo) |
| 2007. 8 |
Shibuya-Seibu Department Store GALLERY (Tokyo) |
| 2009. 6 |
Shibuya-Seibu Department Store GALLERY (Tokyo) |
| 2011. 2 |
Retro Mobile PARIS |
Selected Group Exibitions
| 2003 |
"Characterism" Williamsburg Art& Historical Center , brooklyn NY (U.S.A) |
| 2003 |
Design mai Berlin (Germany) |
| 2004 |
"Runnning with bag" Seta Shop GALLERY (Tokyo) |
Prize
| 2003 |
Awardeed with jury's special award at Geisai Organaized by Takashi Murakami |
| 2009 |
"NewYork festivals"(Educational/Instructional TV)Finalist Award Winner
Look up at the Sky -Weather in Science & Technology- (6)What on Earth is Happening? Extreme Weather & Global Warming
I designed the character. |
"Vehicles carry magical power!
Have you ever wonder why little boys with a little concentration are able to keep
watching vehicles like cars and train
for hours?
This is a universal phenomenon.
What made them concentrate on continuously watching at vehicles so much?
Considering size of small kids, the size of buses or autotrack is as large as that of
skyscraper buildings for the adult.
In our childhood, we must have been experienced feeling of fear as well as fun, when we
watched large vehicles.
Since I grown up, I have not felt that mixed feeling of "surprise, joy and fear" for a
long time.
My creativity is motivated by a strong wish to express the mixed feeling that we felt as
kids.
Swinging lines in my paintings represent that feeling and the speed of the vehicles."
It doesn't take very long for the paintings of Japanese artist Tomohiro Todoroki to capture your attention. The bright colors and the shapes of his vehicles--cars, buses, trains and more, demand that you take a look. As you come in for a closer look, you see the details that make his images so unique.
The appeal of these paintings really is in the details. The images are presented on white cotton canvas that contrast with the colors of his works.
There are also so many different colors presented together. These are colors that you think would never work together, but they do. How could orange, blue, purple and green sit side by side and not look like they are competing for attention, but somehow it works. It’s no accident.
The artist tries many different combinations in order to get it right.
One reason I like his larger works is that there are so many more color combinations. Each color has three different layers of acrylic paint and gouache that is layered until he comes up with the colors he wants.
His works are rooted in a very important tragedy. The artist studied traditional Japanese painting techniques at the Kobe University of Design, but switched to more contemporary imagery after the Kobe earthquake. It was such a tragic time, according to the artist, that he wanted to create
works that would make people happier. And they succeed in achieving this goal. These works never fail in making people smile.
When you look at his vehicles, you’ll notice that they appear to be shaking. I thought this too might have its origins in the earthquake, but actually they are based on the artist’s own childhood memories of cars, trucks and buses shaking as they travel along the road. It’s this boyish wonderment from the past that contributes to the works appearing so innocent and cheerful. And these works have the power to transport us to our own childhood memories-happy memories of family trips, trips to the beach, going to the mountains, and dreaming of doing it all over again.
Robert Tobin
