This is Manga - The Art of Urasawa Naoki in London

Date: 2019 June 03 19:48

Posted by Joe

Japan House London have just sent a reminder that manga artist Urasawa Naoki is in town. He's best known for manga such as Monster, 20th Century Boys, Master Keaton, and Pluto (his adaptation of Tezuka's Astroboy).

He's in London to promote his exhibition This is Manga - The Art of Urasawa Naoki. The exhibition has a wide varity of his artwork on display, from his early childhood drawings to now. It includes a lot of original pages from his manga where you can see all the original details of his art. Along with huge prints of some of his amazing work. The exhibition is free is to ender and is set to run from Wednesday 5th June to Sunday 28th July 2019 at Japan House London in Kensington.

As Urasawa-san is in London he's also hosting a few events including a booking signing on Friday 7th June 2019 (from 16:00 to 17:00), but places are limited. On the same Friday Urasawa will be also hosting a live drawing live signing session All Talking All Singing All Drawing! Urasawa Naoki Live in Concert, this is set to run from 18:30 to 20:00. It's also free, but booking is essential.

Japan House London will also have wide selection of merchandise for sale at their shop. This includes his manga, plus t-shirts, mugs, plastic wallets and other goodies.

Their restaurant Akira have also teamed up with Urasawa to create a Yawara themed dish of fish and chips, with deep fried, bread-crumbed eel topped with umeboshi (pickled plum) tartare sauce, lime and egg yolk shavings. A Monster cocktail will also be available which is made with Dewa no Sato sake from Yamagata Prefecture, Czech spirit Becherovka, ginger liqueur, peppercorns, lime juice, fresh ginger and cloves topped with a white chocolate liqueur foam sprinkled with matcha!

Full Story

Press release as follows:



JAPAN HOUSE LONDON PRESENTS
THIS IS MANGA - THE ART OF URASAWA NAOKI

This summer Japan House London will present a two-month exhibition on the popular Japanese art form, manga, through the work of internationally acclaimed manga artist, URASAWA Naoki.

Hugely popular in Japan where they make up over 20% of all publications sold, manga refer to what are commonly known as comics in the UK. Not just for children, manga feature unique characters, complex storylines and cover a broad range of genres. The 'This is MANGA - the Art of URASAWA NAOKI' exhibition (5 June - 28 July 2019) at Japan House will provide an immersive encounter with this popular art form through focusing on the work of much-loved artist Urasawa Naoki.

Since his professional debut in 1983, Urasawa has engaged readers with dynamic storytelling and sophisticated characters that explore the hopes, dreams, and underlying fears of humanity. With hit titles spanning the genres of sports, comedy, mystery, and science fiction, his drawing style is famous for innovative compositional techniques and bold black and white panels.

Urasawa's international breakthrough came in the mid-1990s with the release of the mystery 'MONSTER', about a Japanese surgeon living in Germany. Since then sales of his works have reached over 127 million books in Japan alone, with titles published in more than 20 countries.

At the heart of this success is his passion for manga and resolve as an artist. In an industry that has become increasingly global, Urasawa continues to retain his unique style, personal devotion to his craft, and the integrity of his ideals to reflect an uncompromising view of the human condition. He skillfully weaves social context and detailed cultural settings into his stories to help illustrate how overarching social and historical forces influence the actions of his characters.

This retrospective exhibition will introduce Urasawa's ideas from inception through development, with more than 400 original drawings and storyboards on display. Selected stories from seven of his major works will be presented, highlighting the breadth of the artist's narrative styles.

Through changing displays four consecutive stories from 'YAWARA!' will be presented over the course of the exhibition, one story every two weeks, encouraging visitors to return again and again to experience the work in the weekly serial style of many Japanese comic anthologies. This rare opportunity to enjoy Urasawa's manga directly from his original hand-drawn storyboards offers a unique glimpse into the artist's process and psyche.

The exhibition will introduce those new to manga to the iconic Japanese art form, exploring the fusion of story and artwork that originally evolved from picture book styles developed in the late 19th century, and the modern influences behind Urasawa's work. Japan House will give a comprehensive look into the art of Urasawa Naoki, providing an invaluable opportunity to gain insight into the worldview and unmatched brilliance of an artist beloved across the globe.

Additional Information

'This is MANGA - the Art of URASAWA NAOKI' is open to the public at Japan House London from 5 June to 28 July 2019. Admission FREE.

Japan House Manga Collaboration with the British Museum

To celebrate the manga-themed exhibitions taking place at Japan House and The British Museum this summer, Japan House is collaborating with the museum on a programme of related events. Japan House will host a pop-up sake bar at a special season of Studio Ghibli film screenings, including the Friday Late 'Manga: colour and style' on 5 July. On 29 June Japan House hosts a symposium 'Classical Arts x Digital Technologies', relating to the 'Yokai Kabuki Theatre Curtain' from Waseda University's Theatre Museum, featured in The British Museum's Manga exhibition.

Manga at The Shop

To coincide with the manga exhibition season, The Shop at Japan House has a variety of manga classics available, including many of Urasawa's best-known works such as 'Pluto', 'Monster' and '20th Century Boys'. Several titles will reflect the LGBT+ manga being showcased in the Library between 22 May - 31 August. On top of this, The Shop is stocking a collection of Urasawa Naoki manga-related stationery - including a wide range of postcards, t-shirts, face towels, canvas art and tote bags.

A Taste of the Exhibition at Akira

Akira restaurant has taken inspiration from Urasawa Naoki's 'YAWARA!' series to design a new dish to coincide with the 'This is MANGA - the Art of URASAWA NAOKI' exhibition. The offering is a twist on the British classic of fish and chips, with deep fried, bread-crumbed eel topped with umeboshi (pickled plum) tartare sauce, lime and egg yolk shavings. The accompanying exhibition-themed cocktail, MONSTER, is inspired by Urasawa's mystery manga series of the same name. The psychological thriller revolves around the life of a Japanese surgeon and is set in Germany and the Czech Republic. The Monster Cocktail is made with Dewa no Sato sake from Yamagata Prefecture, Czech spirit Becherovka, ginger liqueur, peppercorns, lime juice, fresh ginger and cloves topped with a white chocolate liqueur foam sprinkled with matcha.

About URASAWA Naoki

Manga Artist (Mangaka)
Born in Tokyo in 1960, Urasawa made his debut with 'BETA!!' in 1983, and has authored many works since, such as 'YAWARA!', 'MONSTER', '20th Century Boys' and 'BILLY BAT' (story co-creator: NAGASAKI Takashi) among others. After garnering renewed popularity more recently with 'MUJIRUSHI' ('The Sign of Dreams', with the cooperation of Fujio Productions), a collaborative project with the Louvre Museum, Urasawa is currently writing a new series, ASADORA! in Big Comic Spirits, a weekly Japanese manga magazine published by Shogakukan. His work is now published in more than 20 countries, with Japanese circulation alone recorded at a total of 127 million copies. Domestically, he has received the Shogakukan Manga Award three times and the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize, as well as numerous awards abroad including the Angouleme International Cartoon Festival Intergenerational Award and multiple Eisner Awards for Best U.S. Edition of International Material - Asia category. In addition, as a musician, he has composed numerous works in the folk rock genre, performing live with his band and releasing two albums to date. His music has been frequently used as theme music for the film and television adaptations of his manga work.

About Japan House London

Japan House London is the new cultural centre offering visitors an experience of the best and latest from Japan. Located on London's Kensington High Street, the experience is an authentic encounter with Japan, engaging and surprising even the most knowledgeable guests. Presenting the very best of Japanese art, design, gastronomy, innovation, and technology, it deepens our appreciation of all that Japan has to offer. Part of a global initiative led by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there are two other Japan Houses in Los Angeles and São Paulo.