Back in 2009, when the French embassy in Tokyo decided to demolish its premises and relocate, it invited in a whole bunch of French and Japanese artists to create site-specific temporary installations, artworks, concerts and more. The result, “No Man’s Land”, was one of the best bonanzas of art Tokyo has ever seen, so popular that they had to extend the event period.
Likewise, when the Tokyu Toyoko Line’s Shibuya Station, a rare example of a raised station in central Tokyo and much loved for its platforms semi-transparent to the world outside, chaotically moved underground, the original space has subsequently been utilized for pop-up retail and other events.
Tokyo likes to build and rebuild, and it is common for locals to display an apparent lack of sentimentality regarding buildings bordering on the sacrilegious for some, especially if you are from Europe.
Well, when manga publisher Shogakukan decided it was going to demolish its current building in September, it invited in a bunch of its manga artists to turn the blank walls into temporary comic book panels.
The results by Kazukiho Shimamoto, Naoki Urasawa and others were on the walls, windows, glass doors, columns… everywhere in the building was going to be demolished so everywhere could become a piece of graffiti manga!
Which artists’ work can you recognize?
Images via Togetter.
