ATSUKO TANAKA (JAPAN, 1932-2005)

Tanaka's painting from the late 1950s onward focused on an exploration of abstract visual language catalysed by her circular
electric bells installation and Electric Dress (1956). Around 1957, when Tanaka started using more stable materials, such as
permanent markers and vinyl paint, her first group of paintings emerged. Circular forms and lines, previously the pared down
symbols for lightbulbs and electric circuitry, assumed a more autonomous character and began to function as a language for abstract painting. The two simple geometric forms proved to be an extremely fertile ground that the artist would develop in the four decades that followed.

Tanaka's emblematic use of colourful circles and lines takes on a spiritual dimension, leading the viewer from an everyday reality into a more personal and aesthetic realm.