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Yaso Sense of Beauty - Victorian
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Size: 7” x 9.5” - Pages: 168 - Published: 2008 - Price: $35 - Binding: Softcover
This book highlight Japan's current "Victorian" Style artists...apparently a very broad genre. It includes some creepy photography from Patrick Ryan, A study of light and shadow in the Victorian Era, A section on one of my favorites - Fuyuko Matsui who applies an amazingly soft touch to her grim scenes of dead women. There is a Victorian photograph collection, eerie dolls from Mahoko Akiyama, An Alice Gallery from Legendary Trevor Brown - highlights from his upcoming show, Pieces from Masanao Amano - sepia gothic illustrations, and a Jack The Ripper Section from another one of my all time favorites Suehiro Maruo. The book features an Alice from Novala Takemoto, photography from Naoya Hatakeyama and Neon O'Clock Works, and then concludes with a section of creepy children created by Shuji Tateishi. All text is in Japanese but the artists are introduced in English. This book provides a great introduction to some of Japanese more obscure, underground artists and is chock full of horrifically compelling illustrations.
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| Mother Goose |
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Size: 6” x 8.5” - Pages: 64 - Published: 2009 - Price: $40 - Binding: Hardcover
This little gem is called Mother Goose, although truly, any relation to the nursery rhymes ends with the title. It is from the very disturbed illustrator Ken Nikai and is cover to cover dementia. Gore, zombies, chains, psycho bunnies, babies in birdcages, bones, skulls, eyeballs where they shouldn't be, bandages, evidence bags, innards popping out...this is the fairy tale that wants locking up. Not for the faint of heart, this book is a smorgasbord of ghastly images that evidently haunt the soul of their creator. Text is in Japanese with a smattering of English throughout. |
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| Anna Tsubaki - Ukiyoe-Hundred Scenes of the Edo |
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Size: 6” x 6.5” - Pages: 112 - Published: 2008 - Price: $35 - Binding: Softcover
This is a new collection from Anna Tsubaki call Ukiyoe-Hundred Scenes of the Edo Young Buddies, Revised. It includes some old favorites and well as some new imagery and is a fun little find. Tsubaki juxtaposes traditional Samurai and Geisha imagery with modern punk motifs and the results are fantastic. Sexy tattooed kids wearing kimono and sporting Katana with black eyes and cigarettes dangling from their mouths. It's what punk would be if it had surfaced in edo era Japan. Very cool. |
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Delta of Venus - OOP
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Size: 8.5” x 12.5” - Pages: 68 - Published: 2008 - Price: $82 - Binding: Flexicover
Kashima's Delta of Venus is a beautiful little collection of illustrations. Delicate portraits of willowy girls and rather androgynous boys, garnished with feathers, corsets, wings, flowers, tails, jeweled chokers and skulls. Very beautiful but with a delicate little swirl of the macabre throughout the collection. Never grim, but deliciously sinful....these beings ooze otherworldly sex and decadence. Text is, surprisingly, in English, with and afterward by Hiroko Minagawa. |
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Rib of a Hermaphrodite by Takato Yamamoto
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Size: 7.5" x 10"- Pages: 80 - Published: 2008/09 - Price: $60 - Hardcover in slipcase
Yamamoto has created a whole new collection of disturbing images! This book is my favorite...a little less homoerotica than in his first publications, more skullls and sinew. There is some amazing vampire, insect, flower elements in this book. Disturbingly beautiful.
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Divertimento For a Martyr by Takato Yamamoto
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Size: 7.5" x 10"- Pages: 80 - Published: 2006 - Price: $60 - Hardcover in slipcase
This book is creepy. Really unsettling. Takato Yamamoto has made quite a name for himself here with his perverse and graphic imagery. His pieces often feature young rather androgynous Japanese and are riddled with blood and sinew, flowers and beautiful moons and delicate costumes. He often juxtaposes delicate beauty with grim gristly environments. His pieces are busy and the eye is forced to seek out what exactly is unsettling about each illustration...knowing full well it might not want to really know. Haunting.
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Phantom Vision of Peephole by Takato Yamamoto
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Size: 15cm x 21cm - Pages: 160 - Published: 2010 - Price: $60 - Hardcover
This is cool new survey book on macabre prince Takato Yamamoto. It includes illustrations from his first 5 books as well as new artwork, sketches and photos. While the text is in Japanese the book contains numerous little photos of places and images which Yamamoto drew from for inspiration. Definitely a must have for Yamamoto fans and anyone looking for a wealth of dark and twisted imagery.
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Trevor Brown's Alice
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Size: 8 " x 10 " - Pages: 80 - Published: 2010 - Price: $58 - Hardback
Trevor Brown has outdone himself with this twisted take on the Carroll classic. As if Wonderland wasn't warped enough....seeing it through Brown's bizarre noggin is simply scarring. Drawing from scenes, characters and situations from the book, Brown has created a looking glass world rife with sinister villians, kawaii victims and chainsaw massacres. A must own.
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Scarlet Maniera by Takato Yamamoto
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Size: 15cm x 21cm - Pages: 78 - Published:1998 (2nd printing) - Price: $60 - Hardcover
Another volume of Yamamoto imagery, rife with beautiful flowers, rope bondage and androgynous figures. This is one of his earlier publications and features more erotica than his later publications. Very visually compelling.
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Altar of Narcissus by Takato Yamamoto
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Size: 15cm x 21cm - Pages: 72 - Published:2002 - Price: $60 - Hardcover
This is Yamamoto's second volume of works and he really starts to come into himself here. The illustrations are busier, more vibrant with blood and flowers. You start to see some of his signature imagery, insects and eyeballs. He pulls a lot from ukiyo-e and shunga in this book. Very compelling.
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Allure of Pharmakon by Takato Yamamoto
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Size: 15cm x 21cm - Pages: 72 - Published:2004 (2nd printing)- Price: $60 - Hardcover
This is Yamamoto's third volume and it is intense. Cover to cover full of vivid imagery....simultaneously repellent and intoxicating this is Yamamoto in full stride. Brilliant.
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