Grab at a Cloud Series
(Lithograph print, gesso, pencil)

Shinichi Kaneko draws inspiration from the limbs in ukiyo-e Shunga prints to explore the theme of "relationships." In 2013, while flipping through a book of Shunga prints by chance, he had a peculiar experience where the expression of limbs in the prints overlapped with his research theme of "relationships," focusing solely on the limbs of Shunga prints. From this experience, the "Grab at a Cloud Series" was born, depicting limbs as symbols of "relationships" and "clouds" as symbols of uncertain realities. In this series, when the painted clouds are illuminated, the original images from Shunga prints emerge, revealing human connections and interactions.

The "Grab at a Cloud Series" updates the techniques of ukiyo-e woodblock printing for the modern age. The "carving" process is done digitally, and the "printing" process is executed through risograph printing. This risograph, like woodblock prints, is printed layer by layer for each color, utilizing the digital stencil printing technology born in Japan in 1980. It incorporates modern color schemes while also capturing the shifts and imperfections unique to woodblock printing.