Palais Idéal du Pot

May 24 - July 4, 2024

Yidi Art proudly presents the solo exhibition of Japanese artist Takuto Kadokura, also known as 22nd Century Jedi, titled "Palais Idéal du Pot." The exhibition features Kadokura's latest series of acrylic still-life paintings from May 24 to July 4, 2024. Kadokura skillfully captures the essence of various still-life images of pots and flowers, blending imagination, subjective emotions, and reality. Inspired by fashion and Japanese folklore, his work offers multilayered interpretations including queerness, existence, and liminality.

For Kadokura, as a former pattern designer at COMME des GARÇONS, fashion runways have always been captivating, evoking thoughts of the "Hyakki-Yagyo" folklore: a nocturnal procession of supernatural creatures parading through the streets; and "Raihoushin": deities that challenge our perception of reality. Pots and flowers embody qualities of beauty, peculiarity, transience, festivity, and even a hint of terror, reflecting the allure of fashion runways and the folklore. The artist infuses a sense of theatricality into the still-life images, filled with bold compositions, vibrant colours, enigmatic strangeness, and surreal qualities. These images prompt viewers to contemplate traditional categorizations, the passage of time and unveil personal stories.

The exhibition's title, "Palais Idéal du Pot," pays homage to the French monument, “Palais Idéal du Facteur Cheval.” Cheval's creative pursuit serves as a conceptual framework for Kadokura's artistic vision, symbolizing the artist's desire to construct a metaphorical palace using pots and flowers as symbolic bridges between reality and imagination.