Early this spring, ginza graphic gallery (ggg) is featuring an exhibition of works by Lu Jingren, a pioneering artist who has brought back to life the historic richness of China’s publishing culture and opened a path to new horizons in book design.
              Lu Jingren came to Japan for the first time in 1989, at a time when China had yet to develop an independent profession of “book designer.” It was against this backdrop that Lu had what would be a fateful encounter with book designer par excellence Kohei Sugiura. Invited to study under Sugiura at his design office, here Lu‘s senses were awakened to “book design” constructed from the elements of a book’s contents. From there, he went on to establish his own unique design methodology integrating his research into the rich traditional culture of his homeland.
               For Lu Jingren’s first exhibition at ggg, the ground floor of the gallery is dedicated to eight of his most dynamic works. These include a volume of full-size reproductions of Song Dynasty (960-1279) rubbings, a compendium containing 10 scrolls (total length: 10 meters) illustrating the 500 Arhats (enlightened disciples of Buddha), and a collection of illustrations enabling actual play of the board game Go. The gallery’s underground level features 27 works together with Lu’s own detailed explanations: books on China’s rich cultural traditions in the arts, including Peking opera, tea etiquette and seal engravings, as well as a variety of works relating to everyday life. The library on the gallery’s upper floor offers visitors an opportunity to take in hand various volumes of Lu Jingren’s collected works and books authored by Lu.
              This is the first exhibition, not only at ggg but in all Japan, to introduce Lu Jingren’s artistry in book creation – artistry that has come to form the basis on which contemporary China’s diverse bookmaking culture has developed. Visitors are sure to come away with a deep appreciation of Lu’s delicately nuanced book design that gets at the heart of Chinese art.