"ART COMPLEX by Yohji Yamamoto A Beauty Looking Back," an exhibition of paintings by Yohji Yamamoto designer Yohji Yamamoto, has opened at the Isetan Shinjuku store. The exhibition runs until April 9th.
Alongside his work on clothing, Yamamoto has been painting portraits of beautiful women in his atelier. These works were displayed in boutiques in Paris and then shown at an exhibition held at the Aoyama flagship store in June 2012, but this is the first time that works on the theme of "beauty looking back" have been made public. This exhibition also offers made-to-order works.
The painting of a beautiful woman looking back (priced at 500,000 yen), painted in ink on pure white cardboard, was created by Yamamoto specifically for this exhibition, copying a photograph taken by photographer Miyamoto Yumega of the 2013 Spring/Summer collection. Also on display are a framed portrait of a beautiful woman (800,000 yen) and a one-of-a-kind shirt (315,000 yen) stained with ink, which apparently was accidentally created during the painting process.

The mannequins wearing the brand's SS13 collection were created by Megumi Ishibashi, an artist who graduated from Joshibi University of Art and Design, using the heads of models as models. Their faces express the emotions of the women, and each one has a different expression.

The brand also carries a variety of other items, including Yamamoto's favorite banana mascot (27,300 yen), a unique design made from memory foam with rope and electrical outlet legs. A collaboration with Manga Designers Lab. has also resulted in the creation of a Rubik's Cube and a canvas bag.

Also available are herbal water bottles with hand-drawn illustrations (large 12,600 yen, small 10,290 yen), created in collaboration with Joshibi University of Art and Design, as well as a postcard set (1,680 yen) and handkerchiefs (3,150 yen) printed with sketches of works exhibited at an art exhibition held at the flagship store in Aoyama last June.