Honda Ayano won the Grand Prize in the 17th “1_WALL” Graphics Competition for “Hello! The World,” her display of illustrations and manga on the theme of “a strange world.” She simultaneously showed illustrations—of a yeti living in the desert of the near future, for example—and short-story manga conjured from their respective characters, and received acclaim from the judges for the originality of her works, which are achievable only through this fusion of illustrations and manga.

As a university student Ayano majored in sculpture and created works in 3 dimensions. But to enable the viewer to become more deeply absorbed in her “strange world,” she now displays combinations of illustrations and manga. She takes one part of one of her illustrations and features it in one frame of a manga, creating a short-story manga imagined from the situation of the given character. In doing so, a flow is born of the time before and after the illustration, thereby bringing even greater vividness to the unique world of her works.

Ayano’s “strange world,” which is inhabited by the likes of yetis, plastic bottles and scorpions, depicts realms that in reality couldn’t exist. Even so, they are expressed from a third-person perspective as if observing her characters’ everyday lives. The works as a whole arouse sensations of engagement and humor, making life in her “strange world” seem like normality.

The stage for this exhibition will be the desert of the near future, follow-up to when she received the Grand Prize, and by touring through the gallery admiring the works on display, the visitor is presented with a story. In this way, the visitor is sure to enjoy Ayano’s “strange world” expressed by the gallery space as a whole. A talk event, delving into the secret behind Ayano’s creative process, will be held on June 11 (Mon) with illustrator Jun Tsuzuki as guest.