Ay-O Happy Rainbow Hell

This kaleidoscopic catalog, and first book in English dedicated to Ay-Ō, celebrates the avant-garde artist’s first major museum exhibition in the United States.

Known as the “Rainbow Artist” for the prominent bright motif in his work, Ay-Ō has long referred to this compulsion as his “rainbow hell.” Ay-Ō Happy Rainbow Hell invites readers into the vibrant world of his brilliant art, mind, and imagination, featuring artwork from the first major US museum exhibition devoted to his work.

• An essay from Kit Brooks, the Japan Foundation Assistant Curator of Japanese Art, that provides a biography of Ay-Ō; explores the artist’s fluctuating explanations for his rainbow fixation and its simultaneous liberation and restriction; and emphasizes his legacy as an eminent member of Fluxus, an experimental art group in the 1960s and 1970s.
• An illustrated essay from Ay-Ō’s longtime printer Sukeda Kenryō, where he describes his painstaking work to translate the artist’s designs onto prismatic silkscreen prints, work that can take up to a year to accomplish.
• A message from the artist Ay-Ō himself.

Additional Information:

• Author: Ay-O (Illustrated by), Kit Brooks, Sukeda Kenryo (Contributions by)
• Published March 2023
• 160 pages, 149 full color illustrations
• Hardcover
• 11.8 x 10.1 inches