Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on July 2010

Toyoshige Watanabe is one of those Japanese artists whose work is full of twee humor and visual puns of the kind that would work well in children’s picture books. Using a formal language that owes a great deal to Taro Okamoto, he paints and sculpts works that are just sophisticated enough to please curators but also have a jokey, populist appeal—a combination that is no doubt ideal for securing public commissions. This default facetiousness seems to be an asset with his latest exhibition, “Playing with Oni” at the Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura. Using charcoal, wood smoke [sic] and acrylic paint, the 79-year-old Watanabe has created a series of headless figures that are infused with the mischievous spirit of Japan’s fabled oni (devils). Although his initial intention may have been tongue-in-cheek, these works have a sense of life that pays homage to Japan’s animist creed.

The Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura
Toyoshige Watanabe. Playing with Oni. Painting, print, sculpture. Until Aug 29, free (MS and under)/¥100 (HS)/¥400 (65 and over)/¥650 (univ, under 20)/¥800 (general). 2-1-53 Yukinoshita, Kamakura, Kanagawa. Tel: 0467-22-5000. Open Tue-Sun 9:30am-5pm, closed Mon. Nearest stn: Kamakura. www.moma.pref.kanagawa.jp