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Art director Kaoru Kasai (b. 1949) is known for his creative activities of remarkable breadth, spanning from ads for clients such as Suntory and United Arrows to package design, corporate identity and book design. His unique tone of expression set off a trend in the realm of design, his works being clearly different from the ubiquitous advertising that is intent solely on stridently proclaiming a commercial message. Kasai’s works do not communicate unidirectionally: rather, they conduce their viewers to sense something in them, and give them room to let their imagination take flight. Kasai’s works offer their viewers magnanimous access into expansive worlds and stories waiting on the far side of his ads or posters. His every work harbors an emotional component of some kind that awakens memories sequestered in the deepest recesses of our minds.
 
Kasai’s works have an unmistakable sinewy strength underlying their delicacy and warmth; they are unshakable. This staunch power derives from the circumstance that his works are not products born from his individual sensibilities alone; they contain Kasai’s personal creativity plus his intellectual and objective approach as an art director directly involved in collaborative ad production. Added further into the mix is Kasai’s deeply ingrained dedication to craftsmanship cultivated from the time he was a child. Together these elements, balanced brilliantly, result in his unique creative output.
 
Of Kaoru Kasai’s expansive portfolio of works, this exhibition will focus exclusively on his posters, with emphasis on his representative works spanning from the 1970s to the present. We hope that this overview tracing the path of his design career will offer an opportunity for people of all generations and levels of interest to become familiar with the creative achievements of Kaoru Kasai in the poster realm.
 
We wish to express our sincere appreciation to Kaoru Kasai for his generous donation of his works to the DNP Graphic Design Archive, and to everyone whose cooperation has made this exhibition possible.