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With a slight sense of discomfort in mind

TI started my career as an illustrator in 2005 and my works are centered around human characters. The uniquely-shaped face of the characters has not changed since then, but I feel that my style is continuously changing. The characters in my early works, for example, have no noses and eyes that are different from my recent works. They gradually became taller and more vibrant in color.

Skeletons, one of the iconic characters in my work, and animal-like motifs, such as horns and flappy ears, have in fact been around for quite some time. By looking at other people’s works, drawing inspiration from different experiences, and thinking through them, I can come up with new creative ideas like adding a dog to my piece of work.

When I draw, I am particularly focused on leaving a slight sense of discomfort. Let’s say I want to draw four people. In that case, there will be millions of situations and compositions that I could use, such as just simply drawing the characters side-by-side or making them hug each other. But despite having plenty of options, I would draw them facing the same direction. It makes the viewers think that the characters are “looking at something” and feel slightly uncomfortable.

The pleasure of being in the mountains and controlling solitude

I was introduced to the world of hiking by my friend in my thirties. As a matter of fact, I used to go to the mountains almost every week. Since then, and wander has been my favorite brand and I still use many of their products such as daypacks, rainwear, and hiking pants. Now that I have young children, I would just go camping instead or use a subscription service for renting a vacation house in the woods to have fun with my family, but even so, I often wear and wander’s products for outdoor recreation.

Walking is also my thing. I walk 45 minutes each way to go to my atelier from my home in Kita-Kamakura. For people like me, and wander’s products are perfect. I tend to notice that casual outfits are not comfortable enough after I wear high-performance clothing designed for hiking and trekking. In my case, I figured that cotton-based clothing takes too much time to dry and regular long pants without ventilation are too hot for a sweaty, 45-minute walk.

Lately, I have been planning on going to the mountains for the first time in a while. The reason I go to the mountains is not because I want to enjoy being in nature, but rather to take some time to think and dig into my inner self. I like the feeling of being able to control my solitude when I am alone.

Winter mornings in the mountains, for example, can be cold, dark, and lonely, but not to the level that I need to fight my loneliness. I can simply hike down to the city at the foot of the mountain or even listen to music if I want to, and experience just the right level of solitude that I need. That’s what makes it so enjoyable.

and wander OUTDOOR GALLERY with PAPERSKY

To celebrate the release of newly designed shirts and goods in collaboration with JUN OSON, and wander’s gallery will present an exhibition featuring JUN OSON’s imaginary nature park, entitled “Welcome to OSON’S NATIONAL PARK,” from Wednesday, August 9 through Monday, August 28.
The “Pyramidal Rock,” a giant rock that is said to have existed since the dawn of time and is known as the journey’s end for the people who lost their way, is the park’s symbol. The unique characters that often appear in JUN OSON’s works, including the dog, skeleton, and extraterrestrial creature, will embark on a journey and enjoy camping along the way as they make their way to the rock.

Click here to see the JUN OSON × and wander collaboration items.

Come and visit the first exhibition held at and wander OUTDOOR GALLERY since its relocation to and wander MARUNOUCHI!

【Welcome to OSON’S NATIONAL PARK】
Exhibition dates: Wednesday, August 9 – Monday, August 28, 2023, 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. (closes at 6 p.m. on the last day)
Place: and wander MARUNOUCHI
1F Shin-Tokyo Building, 3-3-1, Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Map：https://onl.sc/TXh8Dgv