The collaboration of Dior Men and the artist Otani Workshop

The works of Shigeru Otani , discovered by Takashi Murakami in Tokyo in 2010, reconcile   the sense of playfulness of kawaii aesthetics, with the tradition of Japanese ceramic art. «I had never created ceramics until I graduated from university, I had studied sculpture, a discipline that gave me the opportunity to explore numerous different techniques and materials» said the artist represented by Galerie Perrotin. «Then I collaborated with a studio in Shigaraki, an area of ​​Japan known for tougei, the so-called traditional ceramics. Now I think I'm over them, but I'm sure they will continue to have a good influence on me. Japanese culture and working with soft materials helped me clean and refine my aesthetic. It's almost as if it were something intrinsic in my genes, while my aptitude for volumes is more linked to the study of Western sculpture by Aristide Maillol, Alberto Giacometti and Marino Marini."

He began creating works of art under the name Ontani Workshop , with the desire to conquer not only art enthusiasts but also a wider audience. His works range from ceramic, bronze and polymer fiber sculptures to figurative paintings that have been exhibited around the world by major institutions, from Shanghai, Seoul and Hong Kong to Paris and New York. Coming from the rural region of Kansai (near Tokyo), as a child his parents received a copy of a picture book about dinosaurs after a visit to an exhibition on prehistoric animals in a natural history museum. Enchanted by the volume illustrated by Kunihiko Hisa, he creates Tanilla , a green monster with sharp fangs, named in this way because it combines the suffix - “tani” of his surname with the suffix - “illa” of Godzilla.

During his studies Tanilla emerged as he searched for new forms in clay and has since become the most representative subject of his artistic practice. A mischievous little dragon that comes to life in the images taken by photographer Sky and on the garments of the new limited edition Dior Men capsule collection designed by Kim Jones . A collection that reflects the edgy spirit of spring 2024 , in which the little dragon appears in different sizes on sweaters and fabrics, printed on elegant bomber jackets, denim jackets, T-shirts, varsity jackets, shirts, sweatshirts, velvet overshirts, sneakers B27 and the Dior Oblique jacquard long-sleeved polo shirts. All conveyed by a colour palette with a strong red dominance, a color dear to Monsieur Dior who considered it "the colour of life" in his petit dictionnaire de la mode.