“Arriving at one goal is the starting point to another.”
― Dewey Quotes
I’ve known Shaun Tan’s works for a long time. My first encounter with his work was when I was in a college in the US. I was taking an English literature class, and students were assigned to introduce their favorite picture books to the class. One of my American classmates showed us The Arrival, a picturebook created by Tan.
The book beautifully illustrates the story of a father who left his family to find a better life for them in a distant land. With wordless facial expressions and gestures, the reader follows his story frame by frame. Struggles, challenges, and joys. We witness his new life in a foreign country.
The Arrival silently unfolds a beautiful fictional world that is somewhat relatable to our real world. As I spent my college days in the US and faced some challenges to adapt myself to the new surroundings, I felt like I was reading my own story. And as I have a certain number of foreign friends both at home and abroad, this story seemed like about us all.
Anyways, a month ago, I’ve heard that his solo exhibition was held in my city, Yokohama, I went to the exhibition with my friend. It was a great exhibition. It introduced us to 130 displays include early drafts from his picture book “Lost Thing” through his latest illustrations, plus sketches, films, and sculptures of the strange creatures that appear in his work.
Unfortunately, the exhibition was closed on October 18th. But if you haven’t heard him before and haven’t read any of his works, I strongly recommend you read it sometime.
Finally, here are some of my snapshots from the exhibition and items I bought at the gift shop.
Via: Tokyo Art Beat