“I thought the tactile sensation of drawing a line was incredibly interesting. It’s entirely different from drawing a line on a computer. This substitution of images [on a computer] for the act of drawing will become a new challenge for the ‘drawer’ to solve.”

— Keith Haring, 1986

In the 1980s, Keith Haring foresaw a world transformed by digital technology, offering predictions about the future of drawing.

This exhibition presents works by yang02, an artist whose activities span across digital media. The featured trilogy—Apparatus for Drawing Graffiti (2010–2011), SENSELESS DRAWING BOT (2011), and SENSELESS DRAWING BOT #2 (2012)—introduces drawing apparatuses that eliminate human physicality and intent. These devices seem to embody Haring’s vision of drawing in a futuristic world, prompting viewers to reconsider the act of drawing itself.

For this exhibition, yang02 created a new piece involving a drawing apparatus that uses markers visible under blacklight, extending a 30-meter-long wall to showcase a unique collaboration across time and space between yang02 and Haring. Also on view is Haring’s thought-provoking video work, Painting Myself into a Corner (1979), which delves into the nature of drawing. This piece was a highlight of the 2012 exhibition Keith Haring: 1978–1982 at the Brooklyn Museum and will make its Japanese debut in this exhibition.

“Human imagination isn’t something you can program into a computer. Our imagination is our greatest hope for living.”

— Keith Haring, 1983

When the seemingly contrasting works of yang02 and Haring are brought together in the same space, what insights can we glean? This exhibition seeks to explore the essence of drawing.

Note: SENSELESS DRAWING BOT (2011) and SENSELESS DRAWING BOT #2 (2012) were created in collaboration with Hajime Kanno.