Fruits and Vegetables Meet "Wa" in the Netherlands. Japanese Designer's Poster Inspired by Ukiyoe Unveiled Locally

Poster visuals by a Japanese graphic designer have been unveiled at the ongoing Marche des Produits in Groningen, the Netherlands, and at cafes in the city.

Posters used at the market and cafes

Poster

The Netherlands is one of the countries that are familiar with Japanese culture and "Wa" aesthetics, as the Dutch painter Van Gogh was once known to have been strongly influenced by Japanese ukiyoe prints. Against this backdrop, this poster series has emerged as a unique group of works that use fruits and vegetables as their subject matter, reconstructing the style of traditional Japanese art "Ukiyo-e" in a modern way.

Of these, the works inspired by Hokusai Katsushika's "Hyakumonogatari" (One Hundred Stories) are particularly noteworthy. Fruits such as strawberries, oranges, and bananas are fused with the motifs of the yokai paintings, and the fantastic and bold visuals have caught the attention of passersby.

Other works combine traditional Japanese characters and worldviews with foodstuffs, such as a samurai warrior and a cucumber, a paprika being cut in two by a demon and the yokai hidden inside the paprika, and a mango being cut by a demon. While each of these works has the essence of "Japanese" in it, the vivid colors and dynamic compositions of these works are highly accomplished as contemporary advertising design.

In addition, the posters depicting mangoes and avocados graphically display nutrients and vitamins in the background, creating a sense of health consciousness and information. The harmony of tradition and modernity is highly regarded not only as an advertisement, but also as a "functional visual" that accompanies us in our daily lives.

Based on the concept of "fusion of everyday food and Japanese aesthetics," this design series gives a new perspective to familiar foodstuffs. This innovative expression of "Japanese aesthetics" is quietly beginning to blend into the daily life of the Netherlands, on the streets of faraway countries.

Marketplace 1

Market scene 2

Designer

Tsubasa Oho ： https://x.com/Tsubasaaaaaaa14

Instagram: tsubasa.o.22