Japan Reimagined by Mike Dorsey

Classic tales from the Japanese cultural tradition and timeless icons of this style – such as geisha, samurai, kabuki theatre actors, good and evil spirts, as well as divinities – become the protagonists of this book by Mike Dorsey, in a world that is fast-paced and bizarre, distorted and ironic.

It’s a flurry of emotions which at times draws you into a universe that resembles Blade Runner set during the ukiyo-e period, with costumes fashioned according to Japanese traditions that are revisited in color, and details that display the crazy genius of their creator, every time. In other illustrations the light is thrown on individual frames, “selfies” of characters, portraits of strange figures which at first glance seem to be presented in a classic style according to the ukiyo-e guidelines, but are actually revisited by playing with small details that emerge silently, in which you can sense a clear condemnation of global consumerism and the vices of a society that seems to be slowly decaying.