“This…is a story about beginnings and endings.” – and this is the one and only poetic description from the publisher for Japanese illustrator Junaida’s picture book Sekai/世界, which translates simply as “The World”. Indeed, this kaleidoscope explosion of vibrant colors and lively subject matter painted as sweeping vistas is not unlike a children friendly version of Hieronymus Bosch’s The Garden Of Earthly Delights.

I marvel at the sheer imagination and visual splendor of Junaida’s ability to weave together these sprawling images that are so vividly colorful that they threaten to fight each other for attention, and yet seem to be in perfect balance.

As if the illustrations presented on each page aren’t spectacular enough, all of them are actually part of a gargantuan, epic piece that is presented as a large fold-out poster at the end of the book ( see image further down ).

The adage “never judge a book by it’s cover” cannot be more fitting for this absolutely stunning picture book by Junaida, with an exceedingly austere cover art that belie the treasures hidden within. I’ve been a big fan of the artist’s illustrations for quite a while now, but Sekai might well be my favorite yet. My highest recommendations.

During my recent trip to Tokyo, I had the good fortune of catching one of the artist’s mini exhibitions ( read more about it here ), and I also had the opportunity to browse quite a few of his newer picture/illustrations books which I will review in the coming weeks. Stay tuned !

“Sekai – Junaida Illustration Book 世界 絵本” details :

– Dimensions – 10.12 x 9.06 x 0.47 inches
– hardcover, 33 pages. Comes with a fold-out poster
– In Japanese language

  
Buy From Amazon.com | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon FR | Amazon IT | Amazon DE | Amazon ES

You might also be interested in these items :