For its May exhibition, ginza graphic gallery (ggg) will be mounting an exhibition of the poster works of Koichi Sato. Since his debut in the 1970s, Sato has consistently attracted attention for his unique works meshing traditional Japanese tastes and futuristic imagery. His poster works in particular, with their vivid colors and gradations achieved though Sato’s total mastery of printing mechanisms, are richly imbued with a spirituality and air of tenseness whose appeal is recognized by all people of all generations.

The exhibition is to focus thematically on “the sky,” and it will bring together approximately 100 of Sato’s representative poster works spanning his entire career. Among the most famous are his “New Music Media” poster of 1974, which is hailed as his true starting point, and his “Tokyo Frontier ‘96” poster of 1993. Also on display will be an array of the analog tools behind his production process: hand-drawn mechanicals, color chips and other items that are “endangered species” in today’s rapidly changing media environment. They offer important insight into the secret behind the ageless appeal of Sato’s posters.

In tandem with the exhibition a small book will also be published containing 24 essays and plates reproducing Sato’s contributions some three decades ago to Music Magazine.