Jimmy Onishi Exhibition in Ginza

Jimmy Onishi is a Japanese comedian turned painter, though he concentrates his efforts mainly on his art these days. He is known internationally for the 'ten ten ten' clip on YouTube (click here to view) that was an excerpt from a TV comedy special. As a painter, he is famous for his very colourful dreamlike images that have both admirers and detractors. There is little doubt, though, that he has been very successful with his artwork, which includes both acrylics and oil paintings as well as some sculpture work.

This month he has a short exhibition of his work from the last ten or so years at the Mitsukoshi department store in Ginza and I popped along to have a look on Sunday. As with any exhibition of a well-known artist in Japan, it was a popular draw and there was a 50-minute wait just to buy tickets. After that it was a slow shuffle in single file through the gallery to look at the many works on display.

All of the works were very colourful, and you can see a clear progression in both style and technique as time passes. Personally, I felt that some pieces worked very well, while others were overly busy with detail.

After viewing the exhibition, there was the chance to buy the merchandise (obligatory with any exhibition anywhere these days) from the 'Jimmy Collection'. My money stayed in my pocket, however.

A fun exhibition on the whole.