Japan as seen by illustrator Shohei Otomo

Geishas in trainers, bong-smoking army officers, and heavily armed school children, welcome to the world of Shohei Otomo, son of the creator of the Akira manga series Katsushiro Otomo.

Defined by his sociological vision of art, at once both tender and brutal, he seeks to provide a different vision of his country, one that is less smooth than the habitual depiction. Having graduated from the Tama Art University in oil painting, he quickly abandoned the technique in favour of a simple ball-point biro. His mother has said that he was always a natural, and that as such it was difficult to teach him anything. Adopting his own style, he was able to distance himself from his father and carve out his own career. Over the years, the 38 years old artist has honed his technique and since seen his work exhibited the world over from Australia, to France to Mexico. This internationalism is important for Shohei for he feels his work isn’t needed in Japan, for it simply transcribes the daily lives of those who live there.