Asao Tokolo: Piecing Together

Reporter/Provider - Taiwan Pitch
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Japanese artist Asao Tokolo, designer of the Tokyo Olympic emblem, was invited to Taiwan for a solo exhibition in the summer of 2022. In addition to visiting the northern and southern Taiwan where he experienced local culture and developed artistic creation for the community, he also folded his unique “Tokolo Orizurus” with Taiwanese people, which were organized into a sea of multicultural paper cranes. The slow, relaxing rhythm of this documentary unfolds the artist’s love for Taiwan and for the world. It narrates the artist’s creation of Tokolo Orizurus and his reflection on his sense of detachment from the modern society. By means of direct face-to-face interaction, the artist collected all kinds of wishes, endowed them with wings, and opened a window to a new form of praying for blessings. - Artist: Asao Tokolo Asao Tokolo learned architecture since childhood, including an apprenticeship under Shin Egashira. Since September 11th, 2001, he has been creating patterns with the concept “to connect”. Many of his patterns are based on simple geometry, which can be reproduced using a compass and a ruler. His work is both two-dimensional and three-dimensional, crossing disciplines such as fine arts, design and architecture. His major works include the lower facade glass pattern for Dai Nagoya Building, emblems for The Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the pattern for BAO BAO ISSEY MIYAKE bags and the Tower of Connect, which is a sculpture installed outside Otemachi Park Building. He is a lecturer at the University of Tokyo Faculty of Engineering and a part-time lecturer at the College of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo.

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