YouTuber Ken Tanaka debuted his Japanese-inspired solo art show at Cade Gallery in Phoenix on Friday featuring robots, superheroes and Hello Kitty.
The art is “a mix of Japanese and American culture,” said Tanaka who grew up in Japan with his adoptive parents but moved to the U.S. to search for his biological parents in 2007.
Tanaka’s artwork was displayed on a white wall on one side of the gallery while arcade games lined the other side. The contrasting setup lured people to the art like 15-year-old Charles Nelson and his friends who stopped in after seeing the arcade sign displayed outside.
“It’s avant-garde,” Nelson said.
Tanaka said his artwork began as part of his YouTube page, helpmefindparents, which he launched when he first moved to the U.S. in search of his parents. An American friend suggested he begin his search on YouTube, said Tanaka, adding that he had not heard of the website prior because it was not very popular in Japan in 2007.
Some pieces featured in the show include two robots, “Raidein” and “Great Mazinga,” which were made specifically for the exhibit and are the largest pieces on display, Tanaka said.
Other pieces are superhero-related, like his favorite work at the time, “Batman The Heartbreak.”
“Batman is trying to make things work, but when you’re a superhero you can fight crime but you can’t make a relationship work,” he said.
The show is only scheduled for Phoenix at the time but if it’s popular enough he might consider taking it somewhere else, he said.
Tanaka has another art show titled “Everybody Dies,” inspired by the children’s book he wrote for adults by the same name, which is set to premiere in Los Angeles on June 10.
His first art show was also in Los Angeles at the Billy Shire Fine Arts Gallery, which he considered very successful and where art collector Susan Hancock purchased the highest priced item for $1500.
Other projects that he has worked on include a piece that he made for The Open Daybook called “Green Cat is Listening Closely,” and several pieces created for Hello Kitty’s 35th anniversary gallery in 2009.
“One More Sad Hello Kitty” is another piece being displayed in Phoenix.
Mike Beauvais, 43, came to see the show after hearing about it from his son. “It was nice, retro,” he said, adding that his favorite pieces were the robots.
Desire Ford, 25, said she heard of the exhibit through Facebook. She was initially attracted to the Star Wars pieces but was disappointed with Tanaka’s show.
“I’m not a fan of the style on display,” she said.
Tanaka’s exhibit will be on display through June 1 at Cade Gallery near North Fourth and East McKinley streets.
Contact the reporter at malu.banuelosgonzalez@asu.edu
