Though we all know the culturally impenetrable vision of Tokyo from Sophia Coppola's Lost in Translation was more than a little unfair, CLASKA, a very fine designers hotel in the Meguro district has undertaken a project to capitalise on the 'outsider looking in' theme.
Fourteen of the UK’s pioneering graphic designers were invited to Tokyo and charged with creating a poster based on their experiences. Individuals (James Goggin, Daniel Eatock and Adam Hayes) and studios (Bibliotheque, OK-RM and Spin to name a few) interpreted the city in their signature graphics and the results were shown in an exhibition at CLASKA in December.
CLASKA’s motivation behind the exercise, as well as introducing the crème de la crème of the UK graphic design scene to Tokyo, was to compile a guidebook for creative visitors, highlighting the outsider’s view of the city. The book, published by the hotel, is nearly finished and will be on sale in Japan and the UK. In the meantime we’ve got a selection of the posters and photographs of the process from Studio Kanna, who curated the exhibition.
-
Enter the world of Cave Bureau, and its architectural and geological explorationsNairobi practice Cave Bureau explores architecture’s role in the geological afterlives of colonialism, as part of a team exhibiting at the British pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025
-
All-In is the Paris-based label making full-force fashion for main character dressingPart of our monthly Uprising series, Wallpaper* meets Benjamin Barron and Bror August Vestbø of All-In, the LVMH Prize-nominated label which bases its collections on a riotous cast of characters – real and imagined
-
Maserati joins forces with Giorgetti for a turbo-charged relationshipAnnouncing their marriage during Milan Design Week, the brands unveiled a collection, a car and a long term commitment
-
Deathmatch wrestling’s behind-the-scenes moments and bloody gloryA new limited-edition book explores the intersection between art and deathmatch wrestling at a sold-out show held in Tokyo
-
Heads up: art exhibitions to see in January 2024Start the year right with the Wallpaper* pick of art exhibitions to see in January 2024
-
Olafur Eliasson inaugurates Azabudai Hills Gallery in TokyoOlafur Eliasson marks launch of Azabudai Hills Gallery, in Tokyo’s major new district, with a show of elemental strength
-
John Pawson unveils first-ever sculpture in Tokyo exhibitionAt The Mass, Tokyo, British architect John Pawson stages his first solo exhibition in Japan, revealing his first sculpture and a new photography series
-
Reclaim the Earth, urge artists at Paris’ Palais de TokyoWe discover the group exhibition ‘Reclaim the Earth’, a wake-up call for humans to reconsider our relationship with the planet (until 4 September 2022)
-
teamLab: how a Tokyo art collective pioneered an immersive art boomWith an operatic intervention and a show at Pace Geneva, teamLab, the now-700-strong Tokyo-based collective that blazed a trail for experiential, tech-fuelled art, continues to value ‘physical interaction in physical space’
-
Anne Imhof: body language as tool, canvas and conceptAnne Imhof is one of five radical artists chosen by Michèle Lamy for Wallpaper’s 25th Anniversary Issue ‘5x5’ project. In the midst of Imhof’s carte blanche at Paris’ Palais de Tokyo, we explore how she has redefined the concept of body language
-
Philippe Fragnière captures the myth and magic of mountain lifeIn ʻBalancing Actʼ at SAI Gallery, Tokyo, Swiss photographer Philippe Fragnière explores the mythologies of his native Alps
