Born 1931 in Ibaraki Prefecture, Ay-O’s real name is Takao Iijima. He graduated from the Tokyo University of Education in 1954. Still in university in 1953, Ay-O participated in the Demokrato Artist Association established by fellow artist Ei-Q. He co-founded the art group Jitsuzaisha (“The Realists”) with Masuo Ikeda. Since his first visit to the US in 1958 he moved back and forth between America and Japan, and since 1962 actively took part in the avant-garde movement Fluxus. In 1971, he won the prize of the São Paulo Biennial, reflecting his international recognition.

When I entered the art world in 1974, Ay-O’s “I love you (Love Letters)” was the first edition of prints I publishEd.This was an outrageous undertaking at an edition of 11,111 copies, reflecting our ambition to become no. 1 in the world, at least in terms of silkscreen prints. The completed sheets were delivered by truck to Ay-O’s atelier, where the artist indulged in a 16-hour marathon signing session. We both were young! Ay-O’s works can be indentified in an instant by its rainbow colors, and this is also where they derive their intense originality from.