Each bookstore will act as a concierge, recommending "the book you should read now" to FASHION HEADLINE readers. Every Saturday, we will introduce books selected by Shelf (3-7-4 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo), a Harajuku/Gaienmae bookshop that specializes in foreign books.



■ "Cosmo-Eggs"

This is the official catalog for the "Cosmo-Eggs | Cosmic Eggs" exhibition, which is being held at the Japan Pavilion in Castello Park as part of the 58th Venice Biennale International Art Exhibition, which is being held in Venice, Italy from May 11th to November 24th.

The book was designed by Tanaka Yoshihisa, who has produced many excellent collections of works in collaboration with artists. It is structured around exhibition views and the production notes of the four exhibiting artists, recreating the creative process and world of each artist.

This book was completed through the collaboration of designers, authors, composers, anthropologists, architects, curators, publishers, printers, and bookbinders (embodied here once again in the "collaboration of mutually different entities" that could be said to be one of the themes of this exhibition), and is a volume that pursues new forms of expression in the medium of "books."



The concept of "Cosmo-Eggs," which is also the title of the exhibition, is based on the mythological oviparous myth that states the world was born from "Cosmo-Eggs," and contains images that evoke themes of the symbiosis of humans and non-humans, and the coexistence of multiple myths and histories.

"Collaboration" is also an important element of this exhibition. This exhibition explores the contemporary meaning and challenges of collective work, pluralism, and coexistence, while also considering the unknown possibilities of imagination and experimentation that arise from the interaction between artists through opportunities such as artist-in-residence programs. This exhibition features artist Shitamichi Motoyuki, who has participated in numerous group exhibitions, including the 2012 Gwangju Biennale in South Korea and the 2013 Asian Art Biennial in Taiwan; composer Yasuno Taro, known for his "Music Film" series, a performance in which he uses words to describe what he sees on film, and "Zombie Music," a form of music that is neither Western nor ethnic; Ishikura Toshiaki, a specialist in artistic anthropology and mythology and author of books such as "Wild Tours: 12 Journeys Through the Myths of the Japanese Archipelago; and young architect Nousaku Fumitoku, who received a special award at the Japan Pavilion at the 2016 Venice Biennale International Architecture Exhibition. The exhibition is curated by Hattori Hiroyuki, associate professor at the Akita Prefectural University of Art Graduate School.