The “Time Tunnel” series places the spotlight on the earliest works of artists who have subsequently risen to the pinnacle of their field. The 25th exhibition in the series features works by art director Kaoru Kasai.

Over the years, Kaoru Kasai has created numerous advertisements bearing his distinctive artistic touch, but rare in the world of advertising are his ad campaigns of long endurance: his ads for Suntory Oolong Tea (1982 to date) and United Arrows (1997 to date), for example. During the past 10 years, Mr. Kasai has expanded the realms of his activities greatly, now including theater, film, book design, spatial design, CI design, and more.

Kaoru Kasai was born in Hokkaido, and as a boy he was fond of tinkering with machines and making toy models. As a high school student he came to know lettering and, taking a correspondence course, he became fascinated with the forms of letters. Before long he decided this would be his profession, and he moved to Tokyo and got a job at Bunka Printing Company. That was in 1968 – the year marking the start of Kaoru Kasai’s career as a designer.

After that, Mr. Kasai worked for a while at Ohtani Design and then joined SUN-AD Company. It was after that that he began creating numerous ads that left a searing impression in people’s memory, starting with his “I Love You” (1983) and “Two Glasses” (1984), both for Suntory. Meanwhile he has also produced a large number of graphic works drawn freehand.

This exhibition will introduce Kaoru Kasai’s works, from his debut up to the present, at two venues. Creation Gallery G8 will focus on his advertising works for Suntory Oolong Tea, Sony and the Seibu Department Stores, as well as his “idea sketches.” Guardian Garden will highlight his creative works for the theater and films, his book and product designs, etc. Visitors will also be treated to an introduction to Mr. Kasai’s creative process.