Tokyo dreams realised in fictional magazine cover show 'The Tokyoiter'

At 'The Tokyoiter' exhibition, Sophia Tan’s artwork titled 'Take A Spin' - about toy-vending machines - was inspired by memories of a family trip to Japan when she was a teenager. Photo: The Star/Kamarul Ariffin

Magazine cover design is in the spotlight at The Tokyoiter exhibition, which is currently showing at Temu House in Petaling Jaya. It features a line-up of 25 artists, illustrators, animators and designs who have come up with an array of playful and interesting works paying tribute to Tokyo, a vibrant metropolis, a city of dreams and cultural hub.

This art project – supported by The Japan Foundation, Kuala Lumpur – draws inspiration from iconic The New Yorker magazine cover art and The Parisianer, a French tribute version of the magazine.

“This is the first time The Tokoyoiter (which started in 2016) is being exhibited outside of Japan, and I’m very happy with how the artworks are being presented here (in Malaysia),“ says David Robert, art director and co-creator of The Tokyoiter, who lives in Tokyo.

David Robert, co-founder of 'The Tokyoiter', is glad to see this art, design and illustration series finding a new audience in Malaysia. Photo: The Star/Kamarul Ariffin

Created and curated by Robert and British-based illustrator Andrew Joyce, The Tokyoiter offers a collection of faux magazine cover illustrations by illustrators from all over the world inspired by Tokyo and Japan.

“One of our goals is also to cultivate a community of illustrators around the world. This is also a great way for artists to connect,” he adds.

The exhibition, through an open call, also features five Malaysian illustrators – Sophia Tan, Chein Shyan Lee, Yean Junn Tseng, Cawand Dien and Chew Yuin-Y.

Cawand Dien, an animator, picked the street fashion and scenes in Tokyo as the inspiration for his fictional magazine cover. Photo: The Star/William Gary

One of the pre-requisites for submission was that participants must have spent time in Tokyo (including short-term visits), attaching a photo for verification. This led to a colourful mix of interpretations from the local artists, with some visiting the city more recently, while others recalling a family trip a long time ago.

Tan’s submission titled Take A Spin shows a group of people trying their luck with the "gacha" machines, which are popular Japanese vending machines that dispense capsule toys.

“I went to Japan back when I was 14-years old and came across this huge gacha store in the heart of Japan,” recalls Tan during an interview at the Temu House gallery.

Vasco Maurao's urban landscape through memory (fragmented, subjective and personal) led him to a drawing strictly based on the neon signs, storefronts and typography from the streets of Tokyo. Photo: The Star/Kamarul Ariffin

“I wanted to capture the excitement of that fond memory, because everywhere I went, I was bound to find something unexpected, but it was still so fun," she adds.

Similarly, Encapsulating Humans by Lee depicts a variety of Tokyo local people - a salaryman to girls in kimono - inside the capsule toys, trapped in a "bubble".

“I could only take a quick glimpse and imagine what lives they lived in Tokyo by their appearances,” says the full-time illustrator and animator, who is also known as Vanessartpuff.

A view of the works from the Malaysian artists participating in 'The Tokyoiter' exhibition. Photo: The Star/Kamarul Ariffin

Yean, who is a video game illustrator, tells a short story of train travel in Tokyo in his liminal work titled Suica.

“I fell in love with trains, their spaces and the whole idea of being lost in Japan,” he says.

He remains amazed about how Japanese people get around, especially in Tokyo, which is covered by a daunting and dense network of train, subway and bus lines.

“I wanted to create a little narrative around the suica card (a prepaid e-money card). What would happen if we were to lose it? What kind of new trajectory would it set us on next?” adds Yean.

Tokyo’s trendy street fashion is captured in the fictional world made by animator Cawand Dien. His submission titled Tokyo Groove is a fish-eye view of "Cuphead" and friends posing in a busy alleyway.

The exhibition features a line-up of 25 artists, illustrators, animators and designs. Photo: The Star/Kamarul Ariffin

“I actually went to Japan recently after finishing a very stressful project. I had a good time people-watching and seeing life on the streets. I was inspired to create the characters from my experience there,” he says.

Chew, with a rather poignant view, shows how elderly people in Japan are still active and love their hobbies with her piece titled Not Just For The Young.

“In Tokyo parks during good weather, I saw a number of elderly people creating art – drawing, sketching, painting, taking photos, something I don’t often see here in Malaysia,” she says.

“As an artist myself, I find the image of someone in their golden years still doing art to be most inspiring!”

The Tokyoiter exhibition is showing at Temu House in Section 16, Petaling Jaya till Feb 4. Opening times: Thursday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm. Free admission. More info here.