dragon treasure ship

This is one of Tomohiro Todoroki's masterpieces, the ``Blessing Series.''

The Seven Lucky Gods riding a dragon is a very auspicious motif, containing many symbols such as stillness and movement, heaven and earth, good fortune and protection.

The motif combining "dragon" and "Seven Lucky Gods" was actively depicted until the Edo period, and has played an important role in Japan's unique spiritual culture and artistic expression. However, after the Meiji period, with the progress of Westernization and changes in values, this motif gradually disappeared from the art world and became lost to history.

In this work, the artist reinterprets this lost traditional motif from a modern perspective and revives it as an artistic expression. It brings together the artistic values of the past and the present context, giving it new life.

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Artist introduction

Tomohiro Todoroki
Born in 1974 in Tokyo

Tomohiro Todoroki is an artist known as a ``vehicle painter'' and has established a unique position in the contemporary art world. In 2002 and 2003, he exhibited at ART EXPO in New York, where his innovative and powerful style attracted attention and received international acclaim. In 2013, he held his first solo exhibition as an Asian artist at the Mille Miglia Museum in Italy. This groundbreaking exhibition cemented his status and made him widely known in Europe.
In addition to creating works, his talent has been highly praised in the field of commercial design, such as when he was selected by Maiani, a long-established Italian chocolate manufacturer founded in 1796, to design the package for the company's popular product, FIAT Chocolate.

His representative works can be divided into two categories: the vehicle series and the fortune-telling series. In the Vehicles series, the power and speed of industrial products such as automobiles, trains, and bullet trains are expressed through ``rickety, distorted lines'' that reflect the admiration and wonder of childhood. Furthermore, the rich colors are created through a unique technique of layering gouache, giving the entire painting a sense of life and dynamism. On the other hand, the Shofuku series uses traditional Japanese lucky charms such as beckoning cats, sea breams, and the Seven Lucky Gods as motifs, creating a group of works that combine loveliness and strength. Through these works, his works continue to deliver positive energy such as fun and happiness to the viewers.

His solo exhibitions always have the title "Happy Drive!" This title conveys the artist's message: ``We all move forward together.''

Main collection locations
Italian National Automobile Museum (Italy)
Mille Miglia Museum (Italy)
Toyota Museum (Japan)
San Diego Automobile Museum (USA)

Main exhibition history
2023-present: Seibu Shibuya store "Red Fuji" is displayed on the entire glass surface on the 1st floor of Building A (Japan)
2024: Solo exhibition at Sogo Yokohama store (Japan)
2023:
Solo exhibition at Hanshin Umeda main store (Japan)
Solo exhibition at Daimaru Fukuoka Tenjin store (Japan)
Great contemporary art exhibition at Daimaru Tokyo store - Exhibited at "Pop & Street Exhibition" (Japan)
2022: Solo exhibition at Seibu Ikebukuro store (Japan)
2021:
GINZA Solo exhibition at SIX (Japan)
Provided works for Chiba Sogo store-wide promotion (Japan)
Solo exhibition at department store Ryubo Okinawa (Japan)
Solo exhibition at Mitsukoshi Sapporo store (Japan)
Solo exhibition at Daimaru Shinsaibashi store (Japan)
Solo exhibition at MUJI store (USA)
Seibu Shibuya store Works exhibited on two New Year windows (Japan)
2020: Solo exhibition at Seibu Shibuya store
2017: Works exhibited at the Italian National Automobile Museum (Italy)
2013: Solo exhibition at the Mille Miglia Museum (Italy)
2012: Exhibited at the classic car festival "Retro Mobile" (France)
2012: ARTY Solo exhibition at DANDY (France)

Awards
2009: Selected for the "New York Festivals Film Festival" educational program category
2003: Won the Toshiko Okamoto Award for "GEISAI Museum"