Aya Takano's Individualistic Superflat

NEW YORK, November 5 – Aya Takano held a gallery opening for her new exhibition at the Skarstedt Gallery. Considered a figure in the Superflat movement, Takano puts her unique spin on pop art.


Yokohama & Kamakura
In her depiction of nude female forms, influences from Shoujo manga are apparent. The characters usually have large round eyes and slender stick like bodies which are common in modern shoujo. The highly stylized forms almost guarantee that her work will have a wide commercial appeal.

Takano's palette is also very delicate. It mainly consists of washed out bright colors like pastels. It’s difficult to photograph her work because most cameras will shift the color. The photographs are either stronger or lighter than the actual painting. Her delicate use of color can only be seen in person.


Pencil Lines and Dripping Paint Details from "Honyuraf"
Conversely Takano is very expressive in her process. She doesn’t polish or hid her very tactile painting style. Pencil outlines on the canvas are noticeably visible. She doesn’t attempt to wash them out or paint over it. In several of her paintings, repeated pencil lines echo off a painted form as if she was searching for the perfect line. Most artists would eraser or removed the unwanted lines, but she has left them in her work. She also lets her colors drip and run. Takano definitely doesn’t color within the lines. Her paint-drips draw the viewer’s eyes to the bottom of the canvas which creates an interesting vertical movement.


On the Hill, Beyond that Fence, She Leads an Army of Cats
Takano’s exhibition is an interesting take on the Superflat style. The influences from commercial and popular culture are evident in her work, but a strong individual expression is apparent with her use of color and her fearless display of process.

Related Links:

• Aya Takano - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Eric Nakamura: Aya Takano at the Skarstedt Gallery NYC
• Superflat Art: Aya Takano
• Facebook | Aya Takano