marxism at its best

Grapus was a collective of graphic artists working together between 1970 and 1991, founded by Pierre Bernard (studied under Henryk Tomasewski). All members of the Communist party, the group maintained political, social and cultural engagement. They rejected commercial/government clients and only worked with theatre groups, progressive town councils, art institutions and the communist party itself.

Grapus remained devoted to the immediacy of posters and leaflets and the use of handwritten text.  Using very low tech methods of collage and grainy photography for a raw and unpolished look. One of the reasons I love what I love today.

uniqlo: secrets to success

1) Uniqlo employees don't have desks.

2) Uniqlo meeting rooms don't have chairs.

3) The lights go out at 7pm. in all Uniqlo offices.

www.uniqlo.com/jp/

W+K Tokyo at the GGG

Not the best time for art clubbing-disappointed to find a few galleries closed or without any thing impressive showing. Maybe it has to do with the end of the year being just around the corner. Also impossible to get around any shopping areas due to all the cute couples having a very romanti christmas>@%&#@#!!

After a few let-downs (Beams), an exhibition of reels and works by the advertising agency Wieden & Kennedy at the Ginza Graphic Gallery came to my rescue. The GGG has been a favorite since my designer years (i have a GGG poster collection), exhibitions range from the Tokyo Art Directors Club Awards to shows on international design groups such as Grapus.  Images.

You are greeted in the entrance with an i-Mac to take your photo and add to the "Guest Book Wall". The images will be used to compose a moving collage of morphing faces against digital noise. Wieden Kennedy seems to be on the right track, an advertising agency going the extra mile. Looks like a fun place to work. Ad reels for Kumon （私はなにを勉強すれば良いのですか？）are goose bump-worthy, beautiful, nostalgic but fresh. Beautiful innocent imagery combined with music. Uniqlo and Nike ads bring forward a certain frank Japanese-ness we've never seen before. Definitely like what they are doing. "You cannot hammer down a nail that sticks out."

www.wktokyo.jp/blog/ww

color hunting in brazil

Derived from Dai Fujiwara's color reseach for his Issey Miyake Spring Summer 2009 collection, the exhibition shows how Fujiwara travelled to the amazon to collect authentic colors in the natural environment. Dai brought back close to 3,000 color samples he discovered in leaves, trees, soils and rivers as well as the vibrant city streets and beaches. 

Exhibition felt a little thin on content (it got me to the MOT afterall) but loved the Guru Guru Wheels where Dai's photos from Brazil were spun at high speed to reveal beautiful, distinctive color palettes (top photo taken before museum police got to me).  throw away those pantone swatches and start spinning everybody!

100 years ago after the end of feudalism, the Japanese and Brazilian governments signed a treaty which allowed the first Japanese immigrants to land in Brazil. Today, Brazil has the largest population of Japanese outside of Japan. Works of several Brazilian artists were also on show and I came across Rivane Neuenschwander's work for the first time. In the exhibited piece, she builds famous Brazilian modernist buildings out of very delicate materials such as herbs and pasta. gorgeous...and in the same color palette as Dai's designs for Issey. will have to find out more.

pens are not allowed in museums anymore, was there a  crazy pen lashing incident i was not told of? museum police gave me a pencil instead.

timeline for art movements (useful)

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Exit B2 Kiyosumi-Shirakawa Station

Hanzomon Line

the good & the horrible

rules for a good (decent) logo

1) represents an organization's best elements through the creative use of graphics and type

2) made up of elements which can be reproduced easily and be legible when reduced in size

3) is simple, thoughtful & visually elegant

which logo fails in all 3) categories?

flying solo

Mika Ninagawa

Nadiff a/p/a/r/t/

Ebisu, very close to Octopus park

JR & Hibiya Lines

Christmas in Tokyo-a strange phenomenon when the only thing that reminds you it's Christmas are the Christmas lights /the cute couples/the hundreds of girls/obasans in reindeer gear selling christmas cakes on the street...You'll also hear John & Yoko (and Mariah) at least 20 times. Apologies if I sound harsh-no wooly socks, no crisp smell of a wintery morning, no humprey, no drowning yourself in sleep...Either way, I'm on my own in Tokyo this year so taking time out. 3 days for art clubbing!! (with no hang over)

From what i can see, although spaces are smaller (Nadiff), Tokyo's art scene seems to be thrivig. With slick new facilities and art spaces in  Midtown, 21_21, /Roppongi Hills, there is also a lot of money going into it. Ginza and Omotesando are the obvious art spots with Ebisu, Nakameguro and Nihonbashi being the places to watch.

Tokyo Art Site is a great art guide & maps out art spaces in different areas in central Tokyo. It's been my trusty art club companion but I am definitely missing my girls! Available at most book stores here and on Amazon. Better get dressed and on my way. MOT and the Scala Bath house today and Koyanagi Gallery if I have time. xxx

beaming arts

Christmas arrived early this year. Walked into Beams Shinjuku Lumine/Est yesterday and hanging from wall was Pixel Deer! Yes! That very piece which was on the top of our Rich Bitch Collector's List from Art Basel.

Turns out Beams has asked our fabulous Kohei Nawa to design their holiday visuals this year and what could be more suitable than a reindeer head made out of wintery crystals? Gorgeous & simple. I'm sure Tyler Brule would agree. oh, i also found a used Porter bag in Koenji that day. Definitely feeling lucky. 

check out: monocle shop, george st.

expo nippon

Spotted some amazing images along the walkway in Shinjuku station today...scantly clothed models submerged in murky blue water titled "Converse Expo Nippon".

...lets see what we can find here....

Japanese culture was officially introduced to the West by collectors of Japanese art at the Paris Wold Fair in 1867. The art which resulted from this influence is described as japonesque. Hokusai and Hiroshige prints becomes a new source of inspiration for the European impressionist painters and cubists such as  Van Gough & Monet, Toulouse-Lautrec etc. Convere's Japan-exclusive 2009 collection celebrates the introduction of Japanese culture to the western art public.

And,  it all might have happened by accident. One of the first most valuable commodities exported from Japan to Europe were fragile Japanese porcelains. These had to be packed very carefully to survive the sea journey. The precious art objects were wrapped in another form of artwork, discared Japanese prints. As they say....one man's trash is another man's treasure.

Japanese collections enter the Louvre in 1892 and it is said that the Meiji Emperor even donated some pieces of his private collection to further encourage the Japonesque movement in Europe. 

The 2009 Spring & Summer collection from Converse revisits the original motifs and materials seen in these early Japanese works. Bekko(turtoise shell, the Wajima one star, bright crimson red paint....

also...

Meiji Jingu is a Shino shrine. Shinto values harmony with nature and virtures "magokoro(sincere heart) and believes in an unlimited number of kami (gods).  Meiji Jingu shrines the divine souls of Emperor Meiji and his consort Empress Shoken. They passed away in 1914 but to commemorate their virtues and venerate them forever the people donated 100,000 trees from all over Japan and worked voluntarily to create a forest in the middle of Tokyo. if you have been there you will agree that there is a special, clean & overwhelmingly peaceful feeling about the place despite it being in the middle of chaos. must be all the "magokoro". 

my white leather low-tops are looking rather ratty and i really like the look of the bekko tortoise shell design. i think i will be taking a bit of japonesque back to london....