On Passage in the Air by Keiichi Tanaami by James D Bowman 3

The [wrestling / boxing] rings that appear in many of these pieces act as points of mysterious departure: mini-stages onto/into which viewers can project whatsoever they choose; and if Passage in the Air is a fever dream, its sculptures mark those moments in which we weep ourselves awake: spectacles drawing upon colors and designs of kimono fabrics Tanaami observed in his birth home, charms of Asian culture the artist rediscovered on his trip to China, movies imposed under the post-war occupation of the GHQ, and pine trees [“I recall reading in a book somewhere that ‘The trees are called “Matsu” (pine) because one must “Matsu” (wait) while god descends from the heavens along their branches.’ I had unwittingly been lured into a bizarre labyrinth and a world of oriental paradise by the pine trees that had stood outside my window.”], and restoring a intense sense of urgency to the exhibition.