hideki inaba at kuala lumpur design week 2010

'untitled', 2004
image © hideki inaba

the self-taught tokyo-based designer and graphic artist hideki inaba gave a presentation at the
kuala lumpur conference, during the local design week 2010.






'BTB24 mutsuki', 2007
image © hideki inaba

the delicate quality of hideki inaba's work from his exhibition cannot be achieved unless
the combination of ink, printer and even paper quality is just right.
 




'BTB24 hazuki', 2007
image © hideki inaba


at first he was not so picky, he was used to working on the computer, viewing the images
on the monitor. now the transformation from monitor to paper is crucial for hideki inaba.
if the original art is data, you can make as many prints you like, but what you print
is never an original, unless the act of printing becomes an artwork itself.
not unlike the historical japanese ukiyo-e school of printmaking which depended on the good
relationships among painter, woodblock carver, printer and paper maker.

'BTB24' shu uemura make up box, 2007
image © hideki inaba, shu uemura

in 2007, hideki inaba starts to collaborate with japanese cosmetic brand shu uemura.
this is shu uemura 24th birthday box, decorated with artwork by hideki 
- it has been a limited edition.

BTB24 graphics for the cosmetic brand shu uemura's omotesando boutique window display,
slide showcased at kuala lumpur design week 2010

'relax', 2004
image © hideki inaba

during his presentation, hideki inaba enchanted us all with his complex line drawings,
but despite numerous questions from malaysian students - about how he creates them -
he's keeping his trade secret close to heart. he only admits that it takes a very long time
to create these images.

'relax' 2004, print line version 2008
image © hideki inaba







'burst helvetica 2' 9010 exhibition, 2010
image © hideki inaba




'burst helvetica 2', 2010
image © hideki inaba







'burst helvetica 2', 2010
image © hideki inaba




'printer' 9010 exhibition, 2010
image © hideki inaba
see more info (in japanese)


his NEWLINE exhibition in 2004 marked a transition from presence to motion. the fluid manner
of his planar typography added the axis of time and motion to two-dimensional text.
while the illusion of motion was well within the tradition of op art, the patterns’movements perhaps
suggest a new, digital species of kinetic art.



'burst helvetica', 2004
slide showcased at kuala lumpur design week 2010


how do you work with the roman alphabet?
'I ask my assistant or I use the web translation'.
I don't understand english and also don't know difficult japanese words.
I don't think I'm interested in language much.
I recognize both english and japanese as a picture.
H.I.








'untitled', 2008
image © hideki inaba

"untitled", 2004
image © hideki inaba


hideki also works with japanese online magazine shift on various collaborative projects.
see the shift article on hideki's NEWLINE exhibition.




'NEWLINE 2', 2005
image © hideki inaba




dotmov logo by hideki inaba,
slide showcased at kuala lumpur design week





hideki inaba
portrait © designboom

hideki inaba was born in 1971, he is currently working as one of the leading graphic
designers in japan. he never received any proper education in design and studied on his own.
while contributing for +81 magazine and SAL magazine, he received a high attention for his
innovative work.