In the 1950s, Japan made a fast recovery from the wartime period and was at the beginning of a point of rapid economic growth. Design began to take part in this regrowth, especially in the trading and marketing fields. A new notion of design in terms of manufactured products, which was different from that of traditional crafted items, was in demand in order to support and grow economically. This exhibition focuses on designs that emerged in the postwar 1950s. Designs used for posters, newspaper and magazine advertisements, brochures, wrapping paper, book covers, and various forms of packaging designs will be presented along with related materials from that period. Symposium June 8th (Sun) 14:30-16:00 "Culture and Design of the 50s" Hiroshi Kashiwagi (Prof./ Musashino Art University) Naoyuki Takashima (Prof./ Musashino Art University) Hitoshi Mori (Design Historian)

Works from the museum's collection will be on display, with 5 different themes. 1. "Yearning for Blue": introduces painters, such as Rene Magritte, Marc Chagall, Raoul Dufy and Shunsuke Matsumoto who rendered the world in shades of blue. 2. "To Make Invisible Visible": from the museum's collection of contemporary Japanese art, this section showcases artists who devoted themselves to abstract expression, focusing particularly on Takeo Yamaguchi and Jiro Yoshihara. 3. "Where is Utopia?": introduces the notion of utopia and images of paradise that artists associated with Utsunomiya envisioned. 4. "Producing Images": art and design work will be presented alongside each other in the same exhibition space, arranged with the techniques of knitting, weaving and producing in mind. 5. "Revolutionary Russia -Adventures in Design": Russian avant-garde posters from the 1920s and the design work of Japanese artists who took hints from the former will be on display. Location: Exhibition Room 1

Drawing fully upon modern digital technology, Benjamin Edwards generates portraits of imaginary cities composed of imaginary buildings. Exquisitely detailed computer graphic drafts are first stocked in an enormous volume as samples for these buildings, then projected in 3D format, which at last appear on a canvas as a grand virtual city. His creative process seems to tell his audience that the flood of information surrounding us and invisible rules of urban life are transforming themselves into streets, signs and buildings, ultimately structuring a brand new city. Various actions by denizens, i.e. consumers, and even libido springing out of these actions are reflected precisely onto the functions and designs of Edward's cities. A sign of authority surrounding colossal monument in his painting is soon repainted over, undergoing metamorphosis by changing its figure into public facility, temple, office building and a shopping mall, etc. His method can be considered as quite a modern approach to painting genre, for his production heavily relies on the use of CG. Edwards repeatedly explores through his artistic activity the themes like "Capitalist Utopias" and "the Origins of Republic", the themes inseparable from us, who live in this postmodern age. -Opening Reception: June 21st (Sat) 18:00-20:00

Kawasaki City Museum has been a pioneer in researching new genres of art, such as photography, comics, graphics, film and image, while also collecting valuable materials as civic resources. Celebrating its 20th anniversary, the Museum is hosting "Collection Pickup - Curators' Picks" Exhibition, in which curators will pick up some works from the Museum collection and introduce them from their own perspectives. Location: Art Gallery

This is the third edition of the exhibition series "Graphic Trial," which is based on the "execution of beauty." Relief printing directors and four leading art directors have collaborated to produce offset prints and exploring the possibilities of graphic expression in the process. Masaaki Hiromura, Hiroaki Nagai, Kaoru Takai, and Mari Yonetsu are the selected designers for this collaboration. Each of them has tackled various themes and experimented with all sorts of printing techniques in order to produce a final, polished image. This exhibition presents their production process, as well as posters created through a number of trials. Design Talk in Toppan Vol. 5 - Inviting the Creators May 24th (Sat) 15:00-17:00 (doors open at 14:30) Location: Printing Museum, Gutenberg Hall Reservation required (between April 14th to May 12th) Please refer to the website for more information.

Reception Party: July 12th (Sat) 20:00

Looking at the history of film of any country reveals an important connection between film and literature. In the more than 100 years of Japanese film history, we can see that many film directors and scriptwriters were influenced by various forms of literature. Coinciding with the new series of screenings, "Japanese Literature in Film," this exhibition explores how literature has influenced and been "interpreted" into film. Posters and still photographs from the NFC's collection are on display to introduce the cultural background behind this cross-disciplinary exchange. This is the first edition of the series, focusing mainly on works from the Meiji and Taisho periods. -Gallery talks are scheduled during the exhibition period. Details will be posted on their website soon. -"Japanese Literature in Film" Screenings: April 18th (Fri) - May 4th (Sun)

"Graphic Design in Japan" is the yearbook first published in 1981 by Japan Graphic Designer Association, consisting of 2500 professional members. Ever since, this heavily-illustrated yearbook has annually introduced selected works from stringent screening process. Celebrating the publication of 2008 edition at the end of this month, this exhibition showcases about 300 design works (both life and video screening), which cover all sorts of media: sundries, books, product packages, symbol logos, posters, advertisement, websites, videos and spatial design among others. There will also be talk shows by graphic designers and art directors during the exhibition. Please visit the exhibition website for more details.

This third "contemporary Japanese" exhibition at the Claska's Gallery and Shop Do features W+K Tokyo Lab, a worldwide collective of 42 artists working with the idea of "Tokyo Ten". Visuals, video work and music all find a place in this project, which makes bold use of the 2nd and 3rd floors of the Claska. The original sculptures, models and prints whose copies will be compiled into a book scheduled to be released in mid-July will be given a sneak advance exhibition here. Tokyo Ten Exhibition Opening Party: June 27th (Fri) 19:00-23:00

In this exhibition, Shibuya reconstructs various motifs using unique surfaces and straight lines. One year since his last solo exhibition, "Construct", these "Shibuya Zoo" works have been developed using living creatures his newly-adopted motif. Shibuya creates his own original "zoo" with all the usual animals, but also uses extinct animals and extremely-evolved futuristic, robot-like animals. Animals that issue from his brush are active and full of hope. Shibuya's imagination runs through the history of living thing and shows us not only animals but also insects and dinosaurs on his canvas, enjoying a privileged international reputation, especially in Europe. Opening Reception: July 4th (Fri) 19:00-21:00

The season for Ginza Graphic Gallery's annual ADC (Art Directors' Club) Exhibition has arrived! From over 10,000 works in various genres such as posters, advertisements for newspapers and magazines, editorials, CI marks & logos, TV commercials and more, the ADC award, which is the most prestigious prize to be awarded to advertisement or design work, has been selected after careful screening by 84 ADC members. Since its inauguration in 1952, the ADC has been active as a crucial force powering the advertising and design industries. Prior to the launch of ADC Yearbook (scheduled to be published at the end of November by Bijutsu Shuppansha), this exhibition introduces prize-winning work from this year as well as other exceptional works at two sites: members' work at the Ginza Graphic Gallery and non-members' work at Creation Gallery G8. Gallery talks with ADC award winners and production staff will take place at each site as well. Please inquire at the galleries for talk schedules and guest lineups (reservation required, admission free). Locations and schedule -"Members' work": Ginza Graphic Gallery July 4th (Fri)-30th (Wed), 11:00-19:00 (until 18:00 on Sat), closed on Sundays & holidays. -"Non-members' work": Creation Gallery G8 July 7th (Mon)-August 1st (Fri), 11:00-19:00 (until 20:30 on Wed), closed on Saturdays, Sundays & holidays. Opening Party: July 7th (Mon) Ginza Graphic Gallery 17:30－19:00, Creation Gallery G8 19:00－20:30

Starting from April 16th until the first half of December, exhibitions of around two months each every season are planned. Map series, works on paper, fingerprint series, and cross-sections.

July 13th (Sun)-July 17th (Thu) [W:1-A] Teketekebia "Kijinhenjin Daikyouun" Illustration July 15th (Tue)-July 18th (Fri)[E:201 202] Magnet "2008 A/W" Fashion July 16th (Wed)-July 18th (Fri) [W:2-C] Deekei & Wacwac "Perorinpoi" 2 Artists: Painting and 3D object July 17th (Thu)-July 19th (Sat) [W:2-A] International Culture School Fashion Course "Nothing" Makeup July 18th (Fri)-July 20th (Sun) [W:1-A] Tomomi Miyahara "Anoko wo Umeta Atode.." Illustration July 18th (Fri)-July 20th (Sun) [E:102] Piroko Univers Fashion July 19th (Sat)-July 20th (Sun) [W:1-C] Will Send Later Painting, Multimedia and Installation July 19th (Sat)-July 20th (Sun) [E:301] Gas "Summer Exhibition 2008 -Mix Colors" Group: Illustration and Graphic Design July 19th (Sat)-July 21st (Mon) [W:1-B] Yuko "Kawaii" Illustration July 19th (Sat)-July 21st (Mon) [W:1-F] Love Chookje Group: Photography, Film Screening, DJ and Sweets July 19th (Sat)-July 21st (Mon) [W:1-G] Kodachi Miroku Illustration, Photography and Graphic Design July 19th (Sat)-July 21st (Mon) [W:2-B] Analog Complex "Bamboo Princess" Group: Space Art [Image: Gas "Summer Exhibition 2008 -Mix Colors"]