Called "Cometa" in Spain, "Tako" in Japan or "Drachen" in Germany, kites are an integral part of our daily lives.
These large pieces of paper that children enjoy flying in the wind have a long tradition and are considered in the Far East as a true art of living. From the seventh century, starting from China, kites reached the islands of Japan where they became an "art madness": thousands of people launch these flying forms in bright colors on the occasion of festivals. In the twelfth century, the art of kite flying was perfected to allow man to fly in the air. These first "flying men" were usually sent on spying missions during warlike ventures. Continuing their journey through India and Arabia, the "Takos" arrived in Europe where they lost the oriental symbolism.
Passionate about Asian culture, Paul Eubel, director of the Goethe Institute in Osaka decided in 1987 to revive the traditional kite. He wished to bring together homo Ludens (the player) and homo Faber (the craftsman) in a project of international scope. To do this, the professor contacted the greatest artists in the world inviting them to design works that will be transformed into kites. A hundred artists accepted the audacious proposal and received the precious handmade washi paper. This high quality support whitens with time under the effect of light and hardens after a few decades, taking on a consistency similar to parchment. Seven shapes, among the most frequently encountered, are proposed to the artists. Seven forms, among the most frequently encountered, are proposed to the artists. Some adopt the forms resulting from the tradition, others imagine new surfaces at the risk of seeing their works remain on the ground for technical impossibilities.
Niki de Saint Phalle, acquired an international fame at the beginning of the Sixties thanks to her paintings entitled "shooting". With a rifle she shot at plaster targets and reliefs that had colored bags in them; when the bullet hit them, they burst and covered the surface with streams of multicolored paint. For Niki de Saint Phalle, "painting with a gun" was a way of ironizing informal painting, and this aggressive gesture freed her from stifling social constraints. Together with Jean Tinguely she undertook countless action shows in the following years. For example, she organized an anti-corrida in the bullring of Figueras, where, in homage to Salvador Dali, she exploded a mechanical bull by remote control. Her female sculpture that could be entered, entitled "HON" ("She"), presented at the Stockholm Museum in 1966 and the "Paradise" exhibited in 1967 in Montreal caused a sensation. Together with Tinguely she created the fountain at the Place Stravinsky in Paris. From 1979 she worked on the great work of her life, the Tarot Garden in Tuscany. From the 22 cards of the tarot deck she created a fantastic architectural project with monumental sculptures that are sometimes inhabitable. "Most of Niki's sculptures have something timeless about them, they are reminiscences of ancient cultures and dreams. Her work and her life are like fairy tales: there are many adventures, evil dragons, hidden treasures, devouring mothers and witches. In a colourful kaleidoscope of paintings, thoughts, myths, dreams and mysteries, there is a figure that is at the origin of Niki de Saint Phalle's worldwide fame: Nana, a female figure whose opulent and joyful expression, bouncy forms and polychrome decoration evoke popular art and the aesthetics of the fairground. Nana is here a flying kite, she flies into the sky, embracing a bird of paradise. The Indian erotic sculpture and the Nazca sculpture, the myth and the art, the ancestral wisdom and the joyful mockery unite in this loving bird.