Special Interview
HIROHIKO ARAKI

Draw Close to the Unexpected —The Chemical Reactions of Manga Artist Hirohiko Araki
Hirohiko Araki became only the second manga artist to have a solo exhibition in a national museum after the legendary Osamu Tezuka. What is the creative philosophy of the creator of the “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” series that has been running for more than three decades?

BY MASANOBU MATSUMOTO, PHOTOGRAPHS BY MIE MORIMOTO, TRANSLATED BY NAOKI MATSUYAMA

I glance at the desk on the workshop. Disposed on it were felt-tip pens, G-pens, brushes, and copious amounts of black and colored inks and acrylic paints. For Araki, it was important that these enormous paintings were painted by hand, and not digitally or by employing new methods, just like with his usual original artworks. “I like the ‘chemical reactions’ that happen when you draw manga. You could call it contingency. For example, the unexpected contrasts or bleeding that occur when you paint two different colors next to each other. I enjoy being surprised by what happens. Manga presents many appeals be it the story, the characters, or the general world-view, but I’d like to add ‘enjoying hand-drawn original artworks’ to that list. And not only that, I’d like those original artworks to be produced precisely to be enjoyed as original artworks, and not for being printed as it is usually the case.”

画像: Drafts for the large-scale original artworks found at the workshop. The coloring was done based on the notes seen here.

Drafts for the large-scale original artworks found at the workshop. The coloring was done based on the notes seen here.

画像: Color mixing recipes. Araki mixes different inks in order to create the colors that match what he wants to express.

Color mixing recipes. Araki mixes different inks in order to create the colors that match what he wants to express.

In addition to the large original artworks, the exhibition also includes numerous original artworks that are presented to the public for the first time, as well as works produced in collaboration with artists who are fans of JoJo, such as sculptor Motohiko Odani, and designer Kunihiko Morinaga of the fashion brand Anrealage. These works open our eyes anew to JoJo’s multifaceted allure: the “Stands” that materialize super-powers, the poses struck by characters inspired by Renaissance era sculpture and fashion magazines that came to be known as “JoJo dachi” (JoJo standing), or the memorable character quotes. But how did Araki conceive of this work with such expressive breadth?

画像: Araki stands in front ofthe completed large-scale original artwork “There's Always a Traitor” at the press view for the exhibition. Seeking to merge the viewers with thecharacters, Araki explained “I positioned the works so that the horizon (the vanishing point in perspectival drawings) comes at the height of the viewers’ gaze.”

Araki stands in front ofthe completed large-scale original artwork “There's Always a Traitor” at the press view for the exhibition. Seeking to merge the viewers with thecharacters, Araki explained “I positioned the works so that the horizon (the vanishing point in perspectival drawings) comes at the height of the viewers’ gaze.”

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