Tabi 42

Tabi 42 is the forty-second print in Kaneko's long-running "Tabi" (footwear/journey) series, edition 36 of 200 from 1995. Tabi are the traditional split-toed Japanese socks worn with kimono and wooden sandals, a humble everyday object that Kaneko transforms into bold graphic subject matter. His serialized treatment of this vernacular object across dozens of prints reflects the pop art strategy of elevating the commonplace through repetition and graphic intensity, each variation exploring different color combinations and compositional approaches.