In the world of horror manga, few names are viewed with as much reverence ¡ª and shudder ¡ª as Junji Ito; inarguably the genre¡¯s contemporary master. The multiple award-winning 60-year-old artist is famed for his black-and-white graphic novels and short stories revolving around body horror, supernatural terrors, societal cruelty and spiraling insanity. Ito¡¯s magnum opus, ¡°Uzumaki¡± (Spiral), explores a town¡¯s fixation with the twisting shapes, turning a common pattern into a symbol of cosmic horror and inevitability.
The sinister beauty of Ito¡¯s art is currently showcased at Tokyo¡¯s Setagaya Literary Museum, until Sept. 1 in the ¡°Enchantment¡± exhibition. On view is an extensive retrospective spanning a four-decade career, featuring about 600 works from childhood doodles to recent illustrations to stunning figurines, exploring his themes, evolution and sardonic take on our collective fear of death.
Despite Ito¡¯s manga having been translated into over 30 languages, this exhibition ¡ª remarkably ¡ª is the first such showcase of the artist¡¯s work in Japan.
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