The 21st “1_WALL” Graphics Exhibition is part of an open competition for the right to mount a solo show at Guardian Garden. The exhibition will feature works by six finalists after two rounds of judging: the first round focusing on all entrants’ portfolios, and the second round consisting of one-on-one discussions between the graphic designers selected in the initial round and the judges. For this group exhibition, each finalist is allocated one wall on which to show his or her works.
The final round of judging will take place on September 3 (Tue), i.e. while the exhibition is in progress. During this round, which is open to the public, the six finalists will each give a presentation of his or her works, and the judges will then discuss the relative merits of the six contenders’ works and select the Grand Prize winner. The winner’s prize is the privilege of holding a solo show at the gallery one year later, plus 300,000 yen to prepare for the show.
As always, this latest in the series of “1_WALL” Graphics Exhibitions brings together six diverse up-and-coming young designers. Toru Kase uses graphics to express monuments of unimaginable scale. Daisuke Kondo creates drawings using acrylic paints, spray and pen. Maya Kondo depicts imaginary worlds using acrylic gouache. Yoshiki Tanaka makes installations that combine words, drawings and three-dimensional art. Mousho aligns cube-shaped pictures to express the flow of differing times. Yuko Mayumi experiments with wood and photography to crystallize momentary scenes she wants to capture forever.
Toru Kase
Born in 1987. Graduated from Kuwasawa Design School.
“Monument, Man”
Being unable to grasp something stirs a sense of fear in me and at the same time piques by curiosity. These feelings are like peering into a deep abyss, showing me the profundity of man’s powers of imagination.
Daisuke Kondo
Born in 1990. Graduated from Tokoha University, Faculty of Design and Fine Arts.
“la la la”
I like music. Drawing is what I do for a living. When talking with others, exchanging warm words makes me happy. Who will stand still in this city overflowing with intents and aims? It’s only a matter of whether the heart is or isn’t pierced in an instant.
Maya Kondo
Born in 1992. Graduated from Kobe Design University, Department of Visual Design, Illustration Course.
“It’s like going to the horizon”
Pictures and words depicting imaginary worlds. Words are produced via the distance between the drawing and reality, like summoning discovery and confusion. Enjoying the happenings and living creatures of imaginary worlds with my eyes, I hope to be filled with fearless feelings.
Yoshiki Tanaka
Born in 1995. Graduated from Musashino Art University, majoring in Sculpture.
“‘feels like sightseeing”
I traveled to Hong Kong, wanting to eat Peking duck. I went 3,000 li by taxi. with x+e, democraC. It was nEat trying to turn my Hong Kong trip into a work. I♡1wall, 我愛你
Mousho
Born in 1994. Graduated from Kyoto City University of Arts, Faculty of Fine Arts, Painting Course.
“thinking of those days”
In everyday life, times of various kinds exist, their speed and way of passing them differing from person to person. Depicting each of them, one overlapping with the other, little by little I build a world and keep expanding it.
Yuko Mayumi
Born in 1992. Graduated from Tama Art University, Department of Information Design, Media Arts Course.
“Urban Oasis”
Like capturing on camera a moment you want to keep forever, I wanted to crystallize scenery. Artificial minerals adorned with the beauty discovered.
Toru Kase
Born in 1987. Graduated from Kuwasawa Design School.
Born in 1990. Graduated from Tokoha University, Faculty of Design and Fine Arts.
Born in 1992. Graduated from Kobe Design University, Department of Visual Design, Illustration Cours...
Born in 1995 in Mie Prefecture, currently residing in Tokyo. Graduated from Musashino Art University...
Born in 1994. Graduated from Kyoto City University of Arts, Faculty of Fine Arts, Painting Course.
Born in 1992. Graduated from Tama Art University, Department of Information Design, Media Arts Cours...
Judges (in Japanese syllabary order)
Yuri Uenishi（Art Director／Graphic designer）
Art director and graphic designer Yuri Uenishi was born in Tokyo in 1987. In 2010, on graduating from Tama Art University with a concentration in Graphic Design, she joined Dentsu. Independence in 2021. Her works to date include the “World Table Tennis Championships 2015” poster (TV Tokyo) and Laforet Grand Bazar 2019 summer. Her hobbies are travel and mountain climbing in winter. She has visited 42 countries so far.
Atsuki Kikuchi（Graphic designer）
Born in Tokyo in 1974. He attended Musashino Art University, majoring in Sculpture. In 2000 he established Bluemark, and then in 2011 he founded his own design studio. His work areas include brand planning, logo design, signage planning, editorial design, etc., with a strong focus on art, fashion and architecture. He is also the principal of Book Peak, planners and publishers of art books.
Jun Tsuzuki（Illustrator）
Illustrator born in Tokyo in 1962. A graduate of Musashino Art University, between the 1980s and into the new millennium he garnered numerous awards in graphics competitions and for his contributions to advertising. In 2010 he mounted the exhibition “New Eidos,” followed in 2013 by “Jun Tsuzuki x Hideki Nakazawa.” In 2015 he held a lecture on “After New Eidos / An Investigation of 1980-2000.” He supervised and contributed to “Nihon Irasutore-shonshi” [A History of Japanese Illustration]. He also supervises and appears on NHK’s “Art 1” program for high school students.jti.ne.jp
Kuniko Nagasaki（Illustrator）
Illustrator born in Tokyo in 1970. After graduating from Tama Art University, where she majored in Textile Design, she became active in diverse areas including: as an illustrator, providing cover art and illustrations for books; writing essays relating to the cinema; and creating manga. She also serves as Associate Professor in the Visual Design program of Joshibi University of Art and Design.
Kenjiro Hosaka Kenjiro Hosaka, born in 1976, is curator of the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo. Among the major exhibitions he has curated are “Francis Bacon” (2013), “The Voice Between: The Art and Poetry of Yoshimasu Gozo” (2016), and “The Japanese House: Architecture and Life after 1945” (2017). He regularly contributes to several magazines, and he has penned essays for the JAGDA Yearbook (2014) and gggBooks 95 (Kazunari Hattori). Photo by Keizo Kioku.
Organizer: Guardian Garden
