Takashi Kono at GGG

I made it to Ginza again today to finally catch the Takashi Kono exhibit at the Ginza Graphic Gallery. I can’t say enough good things about what I saw. Although I’m especially fond of the work he did in the sixties, I was very impressed with the kinds of designs he was producing in the early thirties as well. But looking at the very strong design work he did in the world of advertizing in the sixties and seventies, I can’t help but feel sad at how the advertizing world doesn’t seem to make that kind of bold graphic statement anymore. It’s a shame. The image you see above is of a collection of fish illustrations he was producing for a while, product of a certain fascination he had developed. While there, I picked up the Kono book in the wonderful GGG design series (of which I’ll write a seperate post, something I’ve been wanting to do for a while now), as well as the gallery’s 2002 design annual. The show, although small, had a definite impact on me, and I’m sure it’ll influence the upcoming issue of GEISHA.