Akira Uno: A Central Figure of Fine Art Illustration
Akira Uno born in 1934, working under the alias of Aquirax Uno, a vaguely French twist on his given name, is one of the leading Japanese illustrators and graphic designers. As one of 16 graphic artists who participated in the 1965 Persona Exhibition, Uno was a central figure in the rise in popularity of illustration-as-fine art in Japan.
Since the 1960s, Uno has been known for his numerous illustration works, often was erotic, surreal, and dreamily grotesque often depicting roughly sketched nude girls.
His work has been widely characterized as one of the most recognised in Japanese underground, erotic and pop art. In the 60s and 70s, Uno, with his trendsetting works, came to be regarded as a great master among young Japanese artists and creatives alike.
Aquirax was at the forefront of a group of Japanese avant-garde artists and designers like Tadanori Yokoo and Tsunao Harada, as well as renowned manga artists like Sanpei Shirato, Seiichi Hayashi, and Katsuhiro Otomo, all of whom emerged from angura, the subversive underground theatre movement that began in the '60s in Tokyo.
Influenced by the rebellious political climate of postwar Japan these artists introduced a new style of illustration that expressed the chaotic mood of the times with wild colours and bold, sometimes shocking, imagery.
Although Uno is probably best known for the psychedelic angura posters he created in the '60s and '70s, he also produced a huge volume of diverse work ranging from charcoal sketches, line drawings, and watercolour.
Uno also explored film and animation. Aquirax Cinema is a 2002 DVD release of three live-action/animated short films that he made between 1964 and 1966, one of which is a fantastic stop-motion short that features animation via painted bodies in motion, an innovative technique that must have been unheard of at the time.
Today, Uno shows no sign of slowing down and continues to publish new work via books, magazines, album covers and more. Besides working as Illustrator, he also works as a curator, stage art, and art director.
