Tajiri's labyrinth

The artist Tajiri was living in the Netherlands and was born in Los Angeles, California in 1923. In World War II, he joined the American forces, but with his Japanese background and looks he never felt welcome in the United States. Via Paris, he ended up in the Netherlands. His work clearly shows the traces of war machinery, although he was disappointed when youngsters appreciated it as the glorification of weaponry. He started making knots from all sorts of materials. In the film, he pays a visit to his contemporary Karel Appel, as well as to the place where he got injured during the war. In 1962, he was also portrayed, by Johan van der Keuken. Directors Walter Grotenhuis and Cinta Forger have included this footage in their affectionate portrait of an uprooted artist, who only felt at home in his studio.