"The Design Cycle of Keiko Hirano: Origin, Terminus, Origin"

Ginza Graphic Gallery

Finished

Artists

Keiko Hirano

The September 2008 exhibition at the ginza graphic gallery is entitled "The Design Cycle of Keiko Hirano: Origin, Terminus, Origin."
All the work which Keiko Hirano has engaged in has led to forms of tranquil completeness that embody the message contained in each work. These include the F702iD Shosa mobile phone; the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo; the Shiseido qiora line of cosmetics; and CD jacket designs for Kenji Ozawa. When her products are lined up alongside each other, all exhibiting a consistently high level of artistic awareness, we are once again amazed at the fact that all their elements “function.” In Hirano’s hands, the totally obvious fact that design fulfils function is brought into sharp relief. That she does not slacken her efforts in pursuit of the wider scope surrounding the item being designed, while continuing to rise to the challenge of embodying complex elements, stems from the fact that these various elements all have indispensable roles to play in the item’s function. Her work is characterized by expressions that use geometrical shapes of ultimate simplicity; the insatiable pursuit of “whiteness”; cosmetics branding that employs organic communication cutting across a diverse range of media; and the development of mobile phone colors focused on gold and magenta. Hirano’s numerous experimental innovations, which for her were compelling by necessity, have become the opening gambits and later new standards for trends in the design world. The vision to which she points may be described as a recommendation to rethink the concept of the responsibility of design toward society.
The opening of this solo exhibition coincides with the 10th anniversary of the Graphic Wave 1998 exhibition. This exhibition provides a comprehensive record of Hirano’s trajectory to date and her collected ideas, and offers a starting point for embarking on a new voyage into unknown waters.
The ggg Books 86: Hirano Keiko will be published in conjunction with this exhibition.

-Gallery Talk
1) Sep 12th (Fri) 18:30-20:00
Speakers: Takeshi Natsuno (Special Guest Professor, Graduate School of Media and Governance, Keio University), Shunji Yamanaka (product designer), and Keiko Hirano
2) Sep 17th (Wed) 18:30-20:00
Speakers: Takuya Onuki (art director) and Keiko Hirano
Location: DNP Ginza Building 5F
*Admission free/ Reservation required.
*Reservation for 2nd Talk will be available from Sep 4th (Thu) 11:00.
Date of the 2nd Talk is subject to change. Please visit gallery website for details.

Schedule

Sep 3 (Wed) 2008-Sep 29 (Mon) 2008