The atmosphere in Karuizawa in September was entirely different from usual. Due to a typhoon that had hit that day, Whitestone Gallery Karuizawa, along with the adjacent Karuizawa New Art Museum, was experiencing a power outage. A talk event was planned between itabamoe, who currently has a solo exhibition at the gallery, and Sayumi Gunji, a leading figure in fashion magazine editing. However, the power had not been restored by the time the event was scheduled to begin. In a sudden change of plans, a guided tour in the dark was held, with participants relying on the light from their own smartphones and flashlights. The regular talk event was rescheduled for afterward.

Artist itabamoe transitioned from fashion designer to illustrator, spending over a decade depicting images of women for women's magazines. About four years ago, she began her artistic career in earnest, seeking to portray the modern women she believes in, rather than the images demanded by advertising and client work.

Sayumi Gunji is a veteran editor who has been involved with “ViVi” since the 80s and has shaped women's magazines with varying target audiences, including “Glamorous”, “VOGUE”, “GQ JAPAN”, “VOGUE GIRL”, and “Numero TOKYO”. It was her participation in “ViVi” that also marked itabamoe's debut as an illustrator.

This report covers the guided tour in the dark conducted by these two. As the pair, from different generations and careers, confronted the artworks in the dim light, their words began to overlap. What emerged was a discussion spanning from contemporary images of women and a sense of unease with the female figures sought by advertising, to the lineage of "gal" culture, the reinterpretation of traditional Japanese motifs, and the idea of artworks living on through the changes of time.

"The drawings are filled with the aspirations that first inspired me to paint."

One of the most noteworthy works in this solo exhibition is a drawing. For itabamoe, who became an illustrator after a career as a fashion designer, drawing is in some ways a return to her roots.

Exhibition View

itabamoe: When I first started creating works on canvas, I wanted to return to my starting point of depicting "the image of women today." I wanted to remember the feeling of drawing women with free lines, returning to that initial mindset. With canvas, the process involves trimming and cutting out a portion to complete the piece. I felt that the beauty of a woman's full body, before it's cropped, is best expressed in drawings, so I created about five for this exhibition.

Sayumi Gunji: As someone from the world of fashion, I'm curious about the clothes and what these women are wearing. Are there specific themes, like a certain type of girl in a particular scene?

itabamoe: In my canvas works, I don't really like to include too much fashion information. I believe that depicting fashion too directly can lead to the female image being overly categorized. The great thing about drawing is that I can depict various styles without the information becoming too heavy; it remains light. Since my background is in design illustration, I'm good at drawing the lines of a woman's body. I also think the beauty of drawing is that even with edgy silhouettes, pushing it to the extreme feels comfortable. It was fun to draw them again after a while.

Exhibition View

Gunji: I've always been drawn to strong-willed women, and your works, moe, have a strength that isn't about trying to please others. At the time, ViVi's fashion was often described as sexy or featuring a lot of skin, but the target audience was incredibly positive girls who wore those clothes not to seek approval, but because they wanted to express themselves or wear what they liked, as an expression of their own will. Styles like lingerie, form-fitting clothes, or a tank top with jeans were often featured in ViVi, so I felt a strong connection there.

itabamoe: Body-conscious outfits work well indoors, in fashion spreads, or in advertisements in magazines. Those kinds of pages are exciting. They aren't gravure photos aimed at men, but pages where women can simply express their own beauty and strength. I've always loved that, so I feel these drawings are filled with the kind of aspirations that first made me want to paint.

Gunji: I feel that your work, itabamoe, captures the spirit of the times, encompassing not just fashion but also hair and makeup.

A New Frontier Born from the Mix of Tradition and Modernity

itabamoe explaining 《NEO MOOD #029》 as Sayumi Gunji illuminates it with a light

Next, they moved to a space lined with canvas works. The title of the new series is "NEO MOOD," a collection of pieces that layer modern female figures with traditional Japanese motifs. In a previous interview, itabamoe mentioned that she started from a desire to paint free women, distinct from the images created by advertising. Here, she elaborated on the background of incorporating Japanese elements.

Gunji: When did this theme of wa (Japanese style) come into play?

itabamoe: It was around the end of last year. In Japanese interiors, there's the Japandi boom, and things like kimonos and bonsai have been quietly popular for a while. I happened to move into a 50-year-old traditional Japanese house, which I renovated into my studio. This, along with having more opportunities to engage with Japanese culture, made me want to incorporate it anew. I was looking at art from the Rinpa school and thought it might be interesting to try painting these contemporary female figures with Japanese elements, as it seemed like not many people were doing that. Having grown up in the 2000s, I dislike being categorized by certain styles in my work, and I feel that a mix of cultures comes naturally to me, so I've been exploring that recently. I started at the end of last year, and this exhibition at the gallery is the culmination of that dedicated effort.

Gunji: In the past, when women were depicted in an anime-like style within the context of, for example, Superflat art movement, it was often by male artists. In those cases, a very stereotypical image of women can come across quite blatantly. Of course, that has its pros and cons. For instance, artists like Takashi Murakami might strongly emphasize sexuality, and I've always felt there's a slight gap between the female image as seen by men and the female image that women aspire to. When I was at ViVi, men would ask things like, "Why are they showing their navels?" The midriff-baring look is popular again now with the Y2K trend.

Girls drawing girls became a cultural phenomenon in the 90s with the emergence of figures like Kyoko Okazaki, but recently, there hasn't been a prominent female artist in that vein. It was in this context that I encountered your work, moe, and I thought, you might be the first person to connect this kind of female image with traditional Japanese style. It made me realize that a woman's identity and a strong female image can unexpectedly connect with wa"

Japonisme is being re-evaluated right now, and it's becoming a bit of a movement. This isn't just from a Japanese perspective; seen from abroad, Japanese elements are being recognized worldwide in the form of what could be called Neo-Japonisme. Looking at the global art market, the idea of combining the image of a contemporary woman with Rinpa school elements from the Edo period is incredibly interesting. I felt that today, seeing the works in person for the first time.

Copper Foil That Marks Time

The first canvas work introduced was “NEO MOOD #029”, which depicts a woman and wisteria flowers against a background of copper foil.

Close-up of “NEO MOOD #029”

itabamoe: This piece was created with the image of a somewhat Asian, humid atmosphere in mind. The background is made of copper foil. It's a material that oxidizes easily, so right now it has an overall pinkish, sweet, and fresh feel. But over time, it will gradually darken and become moreshibui, or refined and subdued. The work will age and develop a deeper character, and I chose this material to evoke an image that could be layered onto a person's own life journey.

Gunji: Adding foil to denim made in Okayama or weaving it into Tango chirimen silk crepe are techniques that have long been used as a type of Japanese flamboyance. The technique of applying foil was also a common element in the Rinpa school. Is this real copper foil? Gold and silver were common back then, so why did you choose copper?

itabamoe: It's real copper. I chose copper simply because it blends well and feels new. It's also a material that is certain to change over a long period. I've applied a varnish, so the change will be slower than usual, but gold, for example, is a material that doesn't change at all. I felt silver would be a bit too strong for this piece, so I chose it as if I were coordinating an outfit.

The Japanese Spirit of Repairing What is Broken

Displayed next to it, “NEO MOOD #034” combines the motifs of kintsugi, the art of repairing broken pottery with lacquer mixed with powdered gold and Japanese irises. It is a work that captures a unique moistness, reminiscent of ukiyo-e or bijinga (pictures of beautiful women), and a beauty that glows within a distinctly Japanese darkness.

Exhibition View

Gunji: I absolutely love the Japanese iris theme. I have a reproduction of an ukiyo-e iris print hanging in my entryway. What was your intention in combining this soft-focus effect and kintsugi?

itabamoe: I'm a huge vessel-crusher; I'm always breaking things. I get them repaired with kintsugi, then sometimes break them again and send them for a second repair. I love how a piece of pottery I originally bought comes back from kintsugi as something even more unique and precious. This painting is on canvas, so it's not actually broken, but precisely because it's a simple, strong composition, I wanted to add a special essence by creating a trace of being broken. I also find the Japanese aesthetic of repairing what's broken—cherishing objects, imbuing them with life, and this spirit of restoration—to be so wonderful. This was the first time I incorporated it into my work.

Gunji: Kintsugi has become a word that's understood internationally. The idea of cherishing and loving something that is cracked or broken for a long time, and even turning that into a part of its scenery, has become quite symbolic of Japanese culture from an outsider's perspective. The bokashi (shading) technique is also from ukiyo-e, used by artists like Hokusai and Hiroshige.

A scene from the guided tour in the dark

itabamoe: The main visual for this exhibition uses gold leaf. I wanted to feature the pine tree symbolically in this show, so I balanced it with the female figure. I tried to create it in a way that wasn't too old-fashioned, but also didn't feel like a common or simple act of sampling.

Gunji: Works like the Pine Trees screen by Tohaku Hasegawa exist, and the pine is a very auspicious motif. A gold leaf and pine combination has a very fortunate image, but you've added a vintage-like effect by scraping it. Is this to express something beyond mere splendor?

itabamoe: It's a bit of a struggle, or a battle. Although it's a work that puts Japanese culture at the forefront, it was acquired by someone from Korea, so I was very happy that it garnered attention from an international audience.

Gunji: The back panel of a Noh stage, the kagami-ita, is painted with a pine tree. The evergreen pine is said to represent a prayer for prosperity, but what is depicted in Noh is the world of yūgen—a profound, subtle beauty. It's a space between this world and the next.

itabamoe: That's right. Pine trees have so many different ways of growing depending on the species, so they are quite profound. I currently live in a somewhat rural part of Shizuoka, so I often see magnificent pines and other trees. Every time I see them, I'm struck by their various shapes, so it's a motif I want to continue exploring.

Cool Precisely Because It Is Imperfect

The "NEO MOOD" series also includes monochrome works. The entire room they are in was designed with minimal color information, focusing on expression through lines. Among them was a work using an ensō (Zen circle), a first for the artist.

《NEO MOOD #038》Exhibition View

itabamoe: I thought I would try incorporating a little Zen, so I gave it a try this time. I find it fascinating that it's not about trying to draw something perfect. A circle drawn by a person is cool precisely because it's not perfect; the unsteadiness of a human-drawn line is what makes it cool. I felt this overlaps with the strong female figures I draw—women who are living strongly in the present, not defined by perfection or imperfection. So I decided to incorporate it boldly.

Gunji: The ensō is an expression in Zen calligraphy and painting said to represent enlightenment, truth, and the universe, though its interpretations vary. It has been depicted by many artists and is a very philosophical concept.

itabamoe: Earlier, I said I don't like to include detailed fashion in my works, but I have a personal preference for integrating fashion elements into the background or the overall composition, and having the woman blend into that. So, the elements in her clothing are an extension of the background.

The Power Outage Recreates the Age of Jakuchu

itabamoe giving commentary. The gold and silver leaf glitter as it is illuminated by a light.

After the tour in the dark, Gunji said she had come to a new realization from the day's experience—about the relationship between Edo-period painting and light.

Gunji: This experience of viewing art with everyone by the light of smartphones during a power outage reminded me of the "Shin'enkan" of the Jakuchu collector, Mr. Price. Famous for his Jakuchu collection, Mr. Price built a purely Japanese-style house at his home in Oklahoma specifically for viewing Japanese paintings. It's a special room where art is viewed by natural light during the day and by the light of traditional Japanese candles at night. The story is that he was particular about recreating the viewing conditions of the Edo period, when there was, of course, no artificial light.

It helps me understand why gold leaf was used in old ukiyo-e and in the paintings of Jakuchu and the Rinpa school. The rooms in the shoin-zukuri architectural style of that time, like those in Nijo Castle, were dark. I believe gold leaf was used precisely so that the paintings would shine even in the light of a candle.

It was a valuable experience to have a power outage by chance today, allowing us to view the works while illuminating them with our smartphone lights, just like candles of that era.

itabamoe: In the old days, gold leaf was most heavily used in the most prestigious rooms, but these rooms at the back of the building received little light. When you brought a candle in, the light would reflect off the gold and create a soft glow. Since the work with gold leaf in this exhibition was in the innermost room, we were able to have a simulated experience of exactly that effect.

Gunji: I realized that the use of foil in your work, itaba, is so impressive because you were unconsciously tracing the context of Japanese culture. Your deep feeling for Japanese culture, which is more than just superficial, comes through and adds even more depth to the work.

And so, the impromptu guided tour in the dark came to an end. While the power outage inconvenienced our guests, it became a valuable opportunity to share a moment that, though accidental, transformed into an experience that felt connected to history.

In Part 2, we will report on the talk event that was held afterward.