| Fantasista Utamaro | |
| Birth Place: | Fuji, Shizuoka, Japan |
| Occupation: | Visual artist, art director, illustrator, graphic designer, textile designer, and animation director |
Fantasista Utamaro (born, in Fuji, Shizuoka, Japan) is a Japanese artist, art director, illustrator, and graphic designer based in Brooklyn, New York.[1] He is considered to be one of the leading artists working in the Japanese pop art movement, whose work explores the concepts of celebration, culture, freedom, and unlimited possibilities through a pop culture lens.[2] [3]
Utamaro's work is known for its distinctive ultra pop and vivid technicolor style that pushes the traditional boundaries of art, which is inspired by Japanese pop culture such as Anime and Manga, and also influenced by Western art, including the work of Andy Warhol and Keith Haring.[4]
Fantasista Utamaro was born in Fuji, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, in 1979. He grew up in a small town and was interested in art from a young age. He began drawing and painting at a young age, and he was also interested in anime and manga. Utamaro attended Tama Art University in Tokyo, where he studied textile design. He graduated in 2002.
After graduating from college in 2007, Utamaro moved to New York City to pursue his art career. He began working as a freelance artist, creating illustrations for magazines, books, advertising campaigns, packaging designs, and website design. He also began exhibiting his work in galleries and museums around the city.
In addition to his work, Utamaro established Saizen OO with designer Mikio Sakabe and has also collaborated with other artists and brands, including Takashi Murakami, Mr., Pharrell Williams, Louis Vuitton, SK-II, Nike, Converse, GU, and Adidas.[5] In 2021, Utamaro collaborate with Nexus Studios and Factory Fifteen to produce commercial video for the BBC's 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, which receive the BAFTA Awards for Best Titles & Graphic Identity.
Utamaro's work has been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art and the Brooklyn Museum in New York City; the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles; the Pompidou Center in Paris; the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo; and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.[6]
| 2012 | Transfer | Livetune | Director | ||
| 2012 | Tell Your World | Hatsune Miku feat. Livetune | Director | ||
| 2012 | Take Your Way | Livetune | Director | ||
| 2014 | It Girl | Pharrell Williams | Director | ||
| 2015 | Hizumu Realism | Karasu wa Masshiro | Director | ||
| 2015 | A Message | Kelala | Art Director, Animation | ||
| 2016 | Afraid to be Cool | Miyavi | Director | ||
| 2016 | Fire Bird | Miyavi | Director | ||
| 2018 | Oto No Kuni | Kyary Pamyu Pamyu | Art Director | ||
| 2018 | Lucky☆Orb | Hatsune Miku | Director | ||
| 2019 | Kimi ga Iine Kuretara | Kyary Pamyu Pamyu | Art Director | ||
| 2021 | BBC Summer Olympics Let's Go There | BBC | Art Direction and Design | ||
| 2022 | Heartbeat | Nitecore | Director, Special Effects | ||
| 2023 | The Edge | Atarashii Gakko! | Director | ||
| 2023 | Grand Yozakura x Fantasista Utamaro | Glenfiddich | Director |
He has also received numerous awards for his work, including the Pictoplasma NYC Film Festival, Silhouette Film Festival Paris, Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity - Young Director Award and the 2022 British Academy Television Craft Award for Best Titles & Graphic Identity. He has been featured in numerous publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Vogue.