In December, ginza graphic gallery (ggg) features the exhibition “Luminous Mandala: Book Designs of Kohei Sugiura.” Throughout his career, graphic designer Kohei Sugiura has produced a diverse body of dramatic and innovative work that applies a sublimely Asian aesthetic to the techniques of Western design. Of all the media he has worked with, Sugiura has always reserved his greatest passion for book design. Treating the book as an open field for experimentation, he has infused all elements of the bookmaking process ― from text, ink and paper to printing and binding ― with a profound philosophical outlook, creating pioneering designs of exquisite craftsmanship that have influenced book designers the world over.

This exhibition focuses on three works that represent the apex of Sugiura’s vast book design oeuvre: “Den Shingon-in Ryokai Mandala: The Mandalas of the Two Worlds at the Kyoo Gokokuji in Kyoto,” “Tibetan Mandalas ― The Ngor Collection,” and “Venus: Urania-Pandemos.” All three are limited-edition luxury works that highlight one of Sugiura’s most treasured motifs, the mandala. Augmenting the books themselves are panel displays and video works by the artist.

Viewers will find all five senses engaged as they enter the mandala universe of Kohei Sugiura ― a multidimensional world of book designs of unparalleled originality and beauty.