Exhibition Archive

Exhibition information

The 340th Exhibition Inside the Mind of Ryoji Arai

December 03, 2014 - December 25, 2014

デザイン: 荒井良二 + 名久井直子
Design: Ryoji Arai + Naoko Nakui
  • facebook
  • tweet
  • url_copy

The December exhibition at ginza graphic gallery (ggg) will feature the works of Ryoji Arai, a designer who is active in a remarkably broad range of fields. His prime focus is on picture books, but he also delves into illustration art, book cover design, book illustration, advertising, stage design and animation. Mr. Arai's unique works are admired by both children and adults alike for their wealth of colors, the simplicity and subtlety of their pictures, and their words filled with strength, hope and prayer.
For this exhibition, the gallery will be filled with Mr. Arai's wondrously appealing works that stir the imagination. Included will be: “Tabisuru mon: Traveling Door,” that Mr. Arai showed in Shinjuku, Sendai and Yamagata; original drawings created for “Inochi da mon: Living Gate,” his latest picture book; and new works and imaginary book covers created in homage to books he has liked.
In tandem with the exhibition, ggg will host a Gallery Talk featuring Mr. Arai and writer Shinji Ishii, who has written a series of short stories about Mr. Arai and his traveling door. A volume dedicated to “gggBooks-113 Ryoji Arai” will also be published.
Mr. Arai says, “The end of one picture book is the start of something.” We hope this exhibition will inspire visitors to start something of their own.

Venue

ginza graphic gallery (ggg)
DNP Ginza Building, 7-2, Ginza 7-chome 
Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0061
Tel: 03-3571-5206
Opening hours: 11:00am – 7:00pm (until 6:00pm on Saturdays)
Closed on Sundays and holidays
Admission free

Ryoji Arai

Ryoji Arai is a picture book artist and illustrator born in Yamagata Prefecture in 1956. He graduated from Nihon University's College of Art majoring in Fine Arts. He has won numerous awards both in Japan and overseas, including: the Japan Picture Book Award (for “Refrain Refrain”), JBBY (Japanese Board on Books for Young People) Award (for “Taiyo orugan: The Sun Organ”), Sankei Children's Book Award (for “Asa ni natta no de, mado wo akemasu yo: It's Morning, So I'll Open the Window”), Bologna Children's Book Fair Special Award, Shogakukan Children's Publication Culture Award, and Kodansha Publication Culture Award for Children's Picture Books. In 2005 Ryoji Arai became the first Japanese to be awarded the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, deemed the highest children's literary prize in the world. In addition to his long and growing list of picture books – including “Happii-san: Mr. Happy,” “Kyo to iu hi: Today,” “Mokemoke,” “Nemurihime: Sleeping Beauty,” and “Inochi da mon: Living Gate” – he has recently branched out further. He created the opening illustrations for a popular drama series on NHK and was appointed Artistic Director of the Michinoku Arts Festival: Yamagata Biennale 2014.