David Bowie’s appeal is so broad because there’s a lot he did so well. The music was paramount, but he could also act, and his aesthetics were a defining feature of his. Because of his many idiosyncratic looks, there are a ton of iconic Bowie images, which makes him an easy person to honor in art form. Japan loves Bowie too, and now the group Ukiyo-e Project has paid tribute to his lasting legacy by re-creating some classic Bowie imagery, in the style of Japanese wood block prints (via Colossal).
In the behind the scenes video above, we see that these artworks aren’t simply made in the Ukiyo-e aesthetic, but they used actual wood block carvings, and the process yielded fantastic results. The prints, based on the Aladdin Sane album art and a promotional photo from the Diamond Dogs era, have traditional Japanese twists: As Colossal notes, the Aladdin Sane print is inspired by “Kidomaru, a fictitious snake charmer from the Kamakura period,” while the other depicts Bowie as “Takezawa Toji, a magician and entertainer who was often depicted by Utagawa Kuniyoshi.”
If you have an extra thousand dollars laying around or just want to see the prints in person, they will be on display and up for sale (for 100,000 yen, or about $914) at BOOKMARC (which is owned by Marc Jacobs) in Omotesando, Japan from June 23 to July 1.
What do you think of these prints? Do they stand among your favorite pieces of Bowie fan art? Let us know what you think in the comments!
Featured image: RCA Records
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