Japanese artist Yuko Higuchi’s darkly enchanting universe is populated by quirky felines, one-eyed monsters, fairy-tale women and otherworldly creatures. Courtesy of Yuko Higuchi
By Park Han-sol
Japanese artist Yuko Higuchi’s darkly enchanting universe — teeming with quirky felines, one-eyed monsters, fairy-tale women and otherworldly creatures — has landed at The Hyundai Seoul for her first solo exhibition in Korea.
“Secret Forest” invitations viewers into her fantasy world, higher outlined as a merry mixture of the bizarrely surreal and the lovable.
With greater than 1,000 items on show, the present traces Higuchi’s two-decade-long artistic journey, from her early drawings and illustrations to poster designs, model collaborations, dolls, image books and costumes. Unveiled alongside all this are new works created particularly for the Seoul presentation, including one other dimension to this already in depth assortment.
Yuko Higuchi invitations viewers into her fantasy world, a merry mixture of the bizarrely surreal and the lovable. Courtesy of Yuko Higuchi
Yuko Higuchi’s Gustave is a peculiar creature with the pinnacle of a cat, snakes for arms and octopus tentacles for legs. Courtesy of Yuko Higuchi
Among the many highlights are the artist’s signature items, corresponding to her anthropomorphic cat “Yanko,” the evocative illustrations in “Love Letter” and the endearing tales of “Gustave,” a peculiar creature with the pinnacle of a cat, snakes for arms and octopus tentacles for legs.
In her playful “Gyutis” sequence, Gustave takes heart stage, reimagined as figures impressed by the nice French modernist Henri Matisse.
Her whimsical creativeness additionally breaks from the web page, coming to life in tactile types as felt dolls, picket mini-books, folding screens, attire and cushions.
Through the years, Higuchi has collaborated with an array of powerhouse manufacturers, together with Uniqlo and Gucci, the latter of which commissioned her illustrations for its 2018 Spring/Summer time Youngsters’s Assortment.
“Secret Forest” dedicates a bit to those collaborations, that includes items produced in partnership with the Japanese journal MOE, fast-food franchise MOS Burger and high-end artwork supplies producer Holbein.
Set up view of Yuko Highchi’s solo exhibition, “Secret Forest,” at The Hyundai Seoul / Courtesy of Yuko Higuchi
What additional enhances the immersive viewing expertise of her oeuvre is the truth that the present’s spatial design and setup had been personally helmed by Higuchi herself, as famous by the exhibition organizer, GNC Media.
“Secret Forest” runs by Jan. 22 subsequent yr at The Hyundai Seoul.
