Avant-garde for purity: the iconic works of Tsuguya Inoue conquer Tokyo

Wish we were there! This month Ginza Graphic Gallery (ggg) hosts “Beginnings,” an exhibition of the works of Tsuguya Inoue. Born in 1947, the graphic designer who is always pushing the limits of visual language established his own company, Beans Co., Ltd., in 1978. Through the years he has forged a prominent career as a graphic designer and art director, the latter area encompassing the realms of advertising, music, publishing, and TV. Today, with innovative creations integrating photography and typography, his design work continues to span across multiple genres.

Widely hailed for his sharp sensibilities and the unfettered freedom he displays in creating stunningly new designs integrating photography and typography, Inoue has "never strayed from his glowing path of avant-garde creativity."

Nearly a decade since ggg hosted Inoue's very first solo show, the new exhibition follows Inoue's paths in the realms of both advertising and publishing. The Japanese designer has created a steadily growing body of works born from his insatiable curiosity and sense of artistic adventure, works that have continued to evolve toward "greater and greater purity."

The core of Inoue's upcoming exhibition at ggg will be his various new poster series. Among them, “The Burning Heaven” employs photographs of the sun, moon, light, water, oil, plants and such to create fictitious universes. Posters in his “Happy Time” series are imbued with humor and playfulness against a backdrop filled with tension.

All posters on display will be Inoue's most prominent works self-selected from among his numerous masterpieces. Also on show will be the vast body of his posters and book designs created in recent years, in ever-expanding variety, in collaboration with the fashion world. "Inoue's works evoke an overwhelming and truly breathtaking aura. From that aura, visitors will surely enjoy discovering all-new sensations: the new beginnings of Tsuguya Inoue's newest journey of creativity."

Inoue's major awards received to date include the Tokyo ADC Grand Prize, Tokyo TDC Grand Prize, JAAC Yamana Prize and Mainichi Design Award. Coinciding with this exhibition, a collection of Tsuguya Inoue's works, titled The Burning Heaven, will be published by Little More Co., Ltd.

More here.

Images via Little More