November 6th or so @ Tokyo Big Sight
DESIGN FESTA WINTER 2008
You can search for other D.F. artists at the Design Festa page, here.
I wasn't expecting much this time, but I was retarded. There was so much good shit, it took me 7 hours, and I didn't even see everything! Not only that, but a lot of the amazing art was by new people. Last time there was more sexy art. This time there was more funny art, and a lot of yokai (traditional monsters) which seem to be having a bit of a boom.
As always, I'll show you scans of one or 2 postcards that i bought off the artists, and try to give you a link to their page, so you can buy their stuff yourself. Keep in mind that my scanner is not All That, so the real stuff is better-lookin'. Please support these artists!
Type B is actually a young lady who is an expert at Photoshop distortion. Most of her works start out as real pictures that turn into unrecognizable chaos.
48t is the art name of HANANO, whose business card says she's still a junior in college, and her favorite colors are: black, white, red, yellow, and purple.
Her card does not mention a website or a way to buy her artworks.
Ms. Sei is doing a series of intricate pictures that are like Harry Potter with kigurumi heads and mischief. Whether there is a whole story behind it, I don't know. She says that she sketches individual figures and then collages them together in Photoshop. Sei's work looks like the same as 48T - even printed on the same kind of cardstock. I wonder if they are both copying the same famous person? I should know who that person is but I don't. Any ideas?
Doubutya, whose name means "Animal House," has been exhibiting for years. This time he's got a new series - of yokai (traditional Japanese monsters) that have been turned into animals.
fujisumi (main site for ordering her works) and this other site where you can see stuff.
My crappy scanner does not do justice to the subtlety of her watercolors. There's a lot of "1940s schoolgirls in collapsed poses portraying teen angst" art out there, but Fujisumi is the only one to add bowling pins and pelvic x-rays into the mix. It's sexually uncomfortable!
Gez is another old-school D.F. alumnus, but he's back with some new shit!
Normally I don't like that whole "Adobe Illustrator cut and paste" art, but Gez is kind of the bomb at it.
Gonbee is one of the best guys this time!!! He is fantastic! Cute-violent art with a very subtle ironic touch to it.
For instance, the salariman who tried to spin the spinning top, but instead the top stood still and his guts spun out instead (left) or the rabbit who can't use his headphones. Stuff like that.
Normally pictures of a strangers' pets are like pictures of their kids: no one cares and it is a fun-siphon. But Kachimo's cat pictures are fuckin' genius. While i was buying at his booth, he kept saying, "You're only getting the messed-up ones." What did you expect?
Ms. Kashima is a professional illustrator who somehow cranks out a small book of original art every couple of weeks or so. She also has some huge collections of her stuff. Her books are from $8 to $40. Mostly ethereal, sexy gothic stuff but with a strange psychedelic atmosphere. I never knew she had a sense of humor before but check it out:
The lion is actually a model of a Steampunk pistol - the penis is the trigger. It shoots penis bullets which are based on Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit.
Keisuke is a really nice dude who has several series of postcards based on pandas, pugs, terriers, and kappas. It took me at least a minute to figure out what the postcard on the left is all about. Keisuke is a genius of subtle lowbrow.
Nawo Inoue
Mr. Inoue has been involved in the anime/manga industry for a long time, and his solo works are usually making fun of the dictator of north korea.
Check out this: it's a parody of the military-model kit : build your own Kim Jong Il, complete with "Secret boots."
The dude is doing all origami robots. With moving parts and transforming ability. Shit is nuts.
koraters
Not sure what is up with them.
Masahiko does work in this very busy style, as above, but also in a very minimal style. Please check him out!
masuda Yumi
Ms. Masuda is one of the few artists at D.F. to have a lot of ambiguity to her work. She has a whole series of small illustrations like the one above , that could be a factory assembly line, a maze, or one of those childs' model kits (Like Kim Jong IL above!). It's very mechanical and mass-production looking, but at the same time drawin in a very hand-done way.
her husband's photo work: Mr. Masuda works under the name of HOMEOBOX.
Above, his genius-level vending machine pop-up cards! A classic only-in-Japan idea.
Below, his insane 360-degree exploded photo collage of a graveyard. The dude has so good of ideas!!!!!!!!!
this is just the first half - second half here.
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