On-site Recap: Junko Mizuno's Solo Show at Woot Bear!!

This past Saturday was the opening of Junko Mizuno's solo show at Woot Bear!! This show featured original art as appeared in Junko's pop up book, TRIAD. The triad consists of the Witch, Nurse, and Wrestler, and the art is such a celebration of the three characters!

Junko signed prints, books, and chatted with fans. It was quite enthralling to see all the original art that was part of the book, and also watch the evolution of the art as the book came together. It's not often that you can see the artist's thought process as a book comes together, so this was a treat.

As I looked at the art pieces, I got a chance to see what had changed. While speaking with Junko, I learned that some of the smaller pieces were added later after she chose the layout for her book. For example, the sick fish was an add on, which is why you can see that it's a whole separate piece instead of being included in the overall art piece. You can also see the evolution of colors between sketches, prints, and book. The silk screen prints were selling very quickly, and it's obvious why with all that exquisite detail. The colors are vibrant.

One of my favorite pieces was the food offering to the goddess - many well known Japanese foods are highlighted here. Also, in this frame you can see that the original piece had all the foods within one frame. If you look within the pop up book, you'll see what has changed.

As a last treat, Junko showed off early looks of her special Ikea glass figurine, and an upcoming collaboration with Scott Wilkowski. That collab will be available at a special show closing event in mid January - stay tuned for more information about that! During the closing event, folks will also be able to take home their gallery purchases. Don't miss out on your own chance to get a piece here. Congrats Woot Bear and Junko Mizuno on a wonderful show!