靉嘔 Ay-O (1931-Present)

Rainbow Man: Ay-O’s World of Colour and Fluxus Experimentation

Ay-O is best known for his vibrant paintings, silkscreens, and installations that immerse viewers in a full spectrum of rainbow colour. A central figure in postwar avant-garde art, he was shaped early on by the Demokrato Artist Association led by 瑛九 Ei-Q and the Society for Creative Art Education founded by 久保貞次郎 Sadajiro Kubo - both groups encouraging freedom of expression and experimentation.

In the 1960s, Ay-O became a key member of George Maciunas’ Fluxus movement, collaborating on performances and projects alongside artists such as Yoko Ono, Nam June Paik, and Claes Oldenburg. His long-running “Rainbow” series, marked by gradated bands of luminous colour, remains his most recognisable body of work. Often playful, tactile, and multi-sensory, Ay-O’s art crosses boundaries between painting, object, and performance.

Ay-O's work is continuing to garner growing international attention, with notable exhibitions such as "Ay-O’s Happy Rainbow Hell" at the National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, D.C., and "Rainbow Landscape #2025" at Kunsthal Aarhus in Denmark. His pieces are held in major public collections worldwide, including the British Museum, the Museum of Modern Art in New York (MoMA), and the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo.