© Noritaka Tatehana K.K. / Courtesy of Kosaku Kanechika / Photography: Gion

Although best known outside his native Japan for his extravagant heel-less shoe designs for pop superstar Lady Gaga, designer Noritaka Tatehana also successfully dabbles in visual arts as his upcoming solo exhibition proves. Entitled Dual Dialogue, the show is once again held at Kosaku Kanechika gallery in Tokyo, and marks the 10th anniversary of his creative output. Tatehana held three previous shows at the gallery, each time exploring both Japanese and Western cultural values, and this presentation of new works is no exception. The exhibition title references the period of self-restraint due to the current COVID-19 pandemic which triggered a dialogue of the artist with himself and the process of reviewing past Japanese culture. Tatehana has tried to incorporate a new form of perception by pairing guided elements into a different visual extension of the painting’s usual appearance. To the artist, the body of new works represents a specific balance, such as ‘life and death’ and ‘heaven and earth’, expressing a fusion of different symbolic elements on canvas, or in this case, three-dimensional wooden surfaces. Additionally, six pairs of Tatehana’s striking shoe designs are on display (on through Sep 22).

Kosaku Kanechika
Terrada Art Complex, 1-33-10 Higashi Shinagawa, Fifth Floor (Shinagawa)
Tokyo 140-0002
Telephone: +81 3 67123346
Wed-Thu 11-6
Fri 11-8
Sat 11-6

© Noritaka Tatehana K.K. / Courtesy of Kosaku Kanechika / Photography: Gion