shashasha

Tsubasa Fujikura’s photographic celebration of the art of the neon sign

Neon signs accompanied Japan’s postwar economic miracle, forming a decisive, inimitable part of the scenery of Japanese cities like Tokyo or Osaka. Hokkaido-based artist Tsubasa Fujikura has photographed, recycled and repurposed neon signs in order to preserve and pay homage to these anonymous artworks glowing in the dark. His imaginative photographs and installations draw our attention towards the craftsmanship behind the signs – skilled artisans use their breath and dexterity to bend long glass tubes into the required shapes – and towards the beauty of their minimal art.

“In the ascendancy and evolution of electrical signage, the lights of such craftsmen are rapidly becoming extinct.
I confront these signboards by photographing them as honestly as possible.
This is my homage to neon’s rise and gradual fall within the context of commercial art.”
— from the artist’s statement

“Neon Sign” also includes the essay “How to Read and Understand Neon Signs" by Asami Hosokawa (included in Japanese and in English translation).