Shintaro Tanaka: Far Removed from Meaning

The Setagaya Art Museum’s ‘Shintaro Tanaka: Far Removed from Meaning’ is a rare retrospective dedicated to one of the most distinctive figures of postwar Japanese avant-garde art. Spanning nearly six decades of creative activity, the exhibition revisits the career of Shintaro Tanaka (1940–2019), tracing his relentless pursuit of new artistic possibilities beyond personal expression and conventional meaning.

Tanaka arrived in Tokyo from Hitachi shortly before turning nineteen and soon joined the radical Neo-Dada movement alongside Ushio Shinohara. After this brief but influential period, he dramatically transformed his practice, attracting attention with works based on simple forms, including heart motifs and neon installations. During these years he also developed a close friendship with designer Shiro Kuramata, whose influence remained significant throughout Tanaka’s life.

While Tanaka went on to represent Japan at major international exhibitions, including the Venice Biennale, he eventually withdrew from Tokyo’s art world, relocating his studio to Hitachi in search of a more introspective environment.

Drawing primarily from works preserved in the artist’s studio, the exhibition features nearly 40 pieces, ranging from rarely seen paintings from 1970 to late abstract works and the metal drawings he continued producing until his death. Archival materials and studio documents further illuminate his evolving practice.

Rather than adhering to a single style, Tanaka repeatedly reinvented his artistic language while maintaining a lifelong commitment to exploring the act of seeing itself. ‘Far Removed from Meaning’ offers a valuable opportunity to reassess an artist whose vision occupies a singular place in the history of contemporary Japanese art.