Tadasuke Kuwayama, known professionally as Tadasky, is a Japanese American artist born in Nagoya, Japan in 1935. He moved to the United States in 1961 and has been a U.S. citizen since 1964. His journey in art began with a scholarship to the Cranbrook Academy of Art, followed by the Art Students League and Brooklyn Museum Art School in New York City.
Tadasky’s work has been identified with the Op Art movement since the 1960s. His first solo exhibition was held at the Kootz Gallery in New York City in 1965, and his work was included in MoMA’s groundbreaking exhibition, The Responsive Eye, the same year. His art is housed in numerous private and public collections worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the Albright-Knox Gallery in Buffalo, the Boca Raton Museum of Art in Florida, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, and various museums in Japan.
Tadasky’s style is characterized by simple geometric forms, most often the circle, which he uses to create powerful visual impacts. Despite the simplicity of his forms, Tadasky’s approach to his art is one of complexity and depth. He uses color as a tool, crafting depth and dimension on the canvas and exploring the endless combinations and interplays of colors. He often situates his signature circles within a square, creating additional depth and dimension in his work.
Tadasky’s work is not meant to refer to anything outside of itself; it is free from philosophy, theory, religion, or ideology. The artist sees himself as a creator of something new and unique, using the circle to create a world unseen before, his own universe. His background in Japan and the influence of his father, who owned a shrine-making factory, have also shaped his appreciation for skill, craftsmanship, and the power of simple, symmetrical forms.
Often referred to as an Op Art artist, Tadasky emphasizes that his aim is not to make viewers dizzy with his works or to create moiré patterns. Instead, he focuses on color, form, and dimension, seeking to create powerful, lasting beauty in each painting. His work reflects a philosophy that small changes can produce large differences, and that each painting, like each child, is unique in its own way.
