RackGaki - Japanese Graffiti
10 May - 20 May
StolenSpace
91 Brick Lane
London
E1 6QL
United Kingdom

Stolenspace are please to launch the book RackGaki of Japanese graffiti by publishers Laurence King. The first book to cover Japan’s explosive graffiti scene, this book illustrates the work of the major graffiti artists—or “writers”—working in Japan today.

The word for graffiti in Japan is rakugaki, but its street pronunciation is rackgaki, punning on the American graffiti term for “racking” spray cans. RackGaki showcases the creativity that lies within this new and relatively unexplored form of contemporary Japanese art. Interviews with the “writers” and the authors’ own experiences in documenting the different aspects of this subculture, fill out a picture of an art form at the cutting edge and often at odds with police and civic authorities.

The Launch
Stolenspace will launch the book with an evening showcasing the book, with live painting and a viewing of the dvd that accompanies the book bringing to life the imagery and focusing on the different environments which serve as the Japanese graffiti writers’ canvas. There is also footage of graffiti being created set to a soundtrack by some of Japan’s leading Trip-Hop artists, immersing the viewer within this subculture.

The artists Kress & Esow will be painting live within the gallery: Since starting graffiti in 1994, KRESS has been expressing his art throughout Japan using his unique letterform and style. Based in Kanagawa, an area near Tokyo with a particularly high population of graffiti writers, KRESS is regarded as one of the most influential writers in Japan today. By intentionally choosing to write the letters KRESS using the English alphabet and not in his mother language of Japanese, KRESS aims to create a fresh angle on graffiti by expressing the English alphabet through his own Japanese sensibilities.

Born 1972 in Tokyo, ESOW came across graffiti at the age of 16 and has since devoted his time to the fusion of traditional Japanese art with graffiti. He is best known for his unique characters and is regarded as one of the best character illustrators in the Japanese graffiti scene. This will be his first exhibition outside of Japan.