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The streets of Tokyo and the world of Manga inspire Japanese artist Hiro Ando to create bold, vibrant sculptures. A true polyvalent artist, Ando emerged in 1995 as an illustrator and quickly began executing works in a variety of different media including painting, digital media, sculpture, and video. In 2005 himself and the artist Saori Nakamishi founded the neo-pop artist studio collective “Crazynoodles,
Fueled by endless happenings and rich diversity only a world-class metropolis like Tokyo can offer, Hiro Ando is a Japanese artist celebrated for his unique sculptural work that is not quite like anything else currently on the market. This multidisciplinary artist creates artworks that facilitate a special conjunction of the old and new. Ando mostly does this by relying on the traditional maneki-neko, standing for “lucky cat”within the Japanese mass culture, a motif Hiro constructs in figures of various forms, such as those of samurai, sumo wrestlers or robots.
DJ SUPERSTAR -STEVE AOKI
"Protected" by his SAMURAICAT
Hiro Ando is the man behind “SamuraiCats,” and the man who partnered with him is Steve Aoki. The first, who has had great success in the art world by making incredible sculptures, believed in his visions to enter the world of Defi, just like the second, who made the same bet.Ando has consistently tried to stay ahead as far as technological advances are concerned and has now taken a plunge in the world of NFT, with the introduction of his new project SamuraiCats, which will guarantee the authenticity of his digital works.Both of these exceptional artists have given their best in their respective niches and are now eager to take over the NFT space with SamuraiCats.
Crazy Noodles Gang is a Japanese neo-pop art universe that connects the metaverse to the real world. Crazy Noodles Gang starts with a collection of 4747 SamuraiCats NFT's, unique digital collectibles on the Ethereum Blockchain. The SamuraiCats are randomly assembled over 300 layers hand-drawn by Hiro Ando. SamuraiCat come in variety of outfits, faces and colors.
“Drawing on ideas of collectability and fantasy, Japanese artist Hiro Ando combines tradition with contemporary culture in his sculpture work…. Ando’s editioned sculptures resemble enlarged toy cartoon characters and bear the names SumoCat, SamuraiCat, UrbanCat, and RobotCat. They’re mainly monochrome and glossy, a few are enrobed in rhinestones or hand-painted. Ando’s work is the creative fruit of Japanese mass culture. adsense ban . His cat figures are reminiscent of maneki-neko (literally, “beckoning cat”), a ubiquitous Japanese cultural icon symbolizing good luck; maneki-neko figurines can be found in nearly every souvenir store and restaurant in Japan. Ando’s cats also resemble a masculine version of Hello Kitty, another emblematic feline character that originated in Japan. Ando’s work shares the neo-pop spirit of Jeff Koons’s balloon dog figurines and Takashi Murakami’s “otaku” sculptures, though Ando’s sculptures do not convey the overt eroticism and darkness that much of Koons’ and Murakami’s work do. Ando expresses a lighter side of neo-pop, highlighting that contemporary art can be both fun and have wide appeal.“Makiko Whole – Publications Coordinator at The Museum of Modern Art New York , New York
Hiro Ando began his prolific career in 1995 in Tokyo, depicting its nighttime urban landscape. With a lot of inspiration, the streets proved to be an endless source of material for his narratives which often included the red fish in addition to the urban background.The act of the red fish in his paintings greatly reminds us of the ancient Japanese watercolor paintings, thus making his work permeated with both a contemporary and traditional feeling. With his artistic beginnings tied to illustration, he would draw several sketches before actually working on the canvas, and his practice has since spread to video material, digital support, and sculpture. Being a multidisciplinary artist, Hiro Ando had added sculpture to his portfolio, creating artwork that furthers his conjunction of old and new.
KABUTO KABUTO KABUTO KABUTO KABUTO KABUTO KABUTO KABUTO KABUTO KABUTO
WHAT'S A KABUTO? 兜
Kabuto (兜, 冑) is a type of helmet first used by ancient Japanese warriors, and in later periods, they became an important part of the traditional Japanese armour worn by the samurai class and their retainers in feudal Japan.
Hiro Ando's Kabuto is a tribute to Kurosawa and his epic often been cited as amongst his finest achievements.
KABUTO "TARO" TAKATORA 58 x 50 x 30 cm
Mix media stainless steel polished and resin painted and varnished
Akira Kurosawa 黒澤明, was a Japanese film director, screenwriter, and producer who directed 30 films in a career spanning 57 years. He is regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema.
Kurosawa calls into question a certain drift from Japanese traditions, and from "Gendai-Geki" (literally "contemporary theater"), melodramas or black films inspired by detective novels, which deal with modern and Western subjects.
KABUTO "SABURO" NAOTORA 58 x 50 x 30 cm
Mix media stainless steel polished and resin painted and varnished
At the age of seventy, after years of consolidating his empire, the Great Lord Hidetora Ichimonji decides to abdicate and divide his domain amongst his three sons. Taro, the eldest, will rule, Jiro, his second son, and Saburo will take command of the Second and Third Castles but are expected to obey and support their elder brother. Saburo defies the pledge of obedience and is banished.
The central theme of the film is its thematic study of the inheritance of power intergenerationally between a single parent and his three children, but themes of chaos, nihilism, and warfare recur also throughout the film.
KABUTO "JIRO" MASATORA 50 x 30 x 30 cm
Mix media stainless steel polished and resin painted and varnished
By adding the element of tradition to the popular Japanese culture, Hiro Ando creates an alluring portfolio that is easily paving its own road within the contemporary art world. Likable and easy on the eye, the cat-like sculptures became his signature mark and are uplifting Ando in the current art scene. Posing a new view on the traditional norms, Ando is a modern samurai of the Japanese art.
Why is Satomi N. such an important and valuable piece?
Galerie Sept is proud to present probably one of the rarest sculptures of the Japanese Neo-Pop artist, Hiro Ando.
Making its first appearance on the art market in more than 6 years, makes this sculpture not only rare, but also in demand since its auction for +27% over it estimated value.
Its appearance is quite unique since the whole "School Girls" series was only put up for auction or directly presented to collectors.
We have art critic and curator - Bridget Gleeson explaining us the importance of this exceptional sculpture.
by Hiro Ando
160 x 140 x 60 cm
polished stainless steel
Before The Hunger Games, there was Batoru Rowaiaru (Battle Royale), the groundbreaking Japanese novel written by Koushun Takami. Published in 1999, the futuristic story tells of an authoritarian government that forces junior high students to fight to survive. The novel was known for its brutal themes and Takami’s vivid imagining of the Japanese government as a police state.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the novel was also hugely popular: It was quickly turned into a manga series and a feature film. It’s no wonder, then, that Battle Royale served as a galvanizing force for Hiro Ando, a Japanese artist frequently inspired by pop culture, manga, and the streets of Tokyo. Ando works in various media, including painting, digital media, video, and, most recently sculptures.
Rendered in gleaming stainless steel, the quartet of sculptures in his “School Girls” series depicts four characters from Takami’s bestseller. According to the book, Yuki U, Chisato M, Haruka T, and Satomi N are just a few of the 42 young students obligated to battle each other on a remote island over the course of three days.
by Hiro Ando
160 x 140 x 60 cm
polished stainless steel
Many of Ando’s best-known sculptures look whimsical, like they came to life and escaped a colorful comic book. In glossy monochrome or covered with rhinestones, his cat sculptures—like “SumoCat” and “SamuraiCat”—are vaguely reminiscent of Jeff Koons’ balloon dog figurines. But Ando’s Battle Royale characters have an entirely different look. There’s something delicate and powerful about these children forced into that battle. They’re regal, heroic and will let nobody walk over them. And it’s not just Ando’s choice of material—the elegant, carefully polished stainless steel. There’s dignity and grace to the girls and their poses, their calm expressions, the way they bravely brandish their swords in the face of the fight.
When we look at Hiro Ando's artistic career, Satomi N. is incomparable with everything he has done before.
Investment Art
The fine art market continues to boom. It seems that every day, another auction record is set for "the highest price ever paid."
Art is a good investment in terms of stability. Historically, the art investment market has remained relatively stable throughout huge changes in economic, social and political circumstances.
At auction, October 2016 at Cornette de Saint Cyr in Paris, the sculpture which was estimated then between € 60 000 - € 70 000, was sold for € 89 000. More than +27% over its estimated value. This only proves a rising value for this particular work.
This work proves that Hiro Ando can remain consistent in his artistic vision while addressing a more complex subject.
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