Shinsuke Minegishi - A Retrospective of Collaboration: poet + artist / books + prints / mother + son

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Shinsuke Minegishi, "The Tale of Three Black Boxes", 2006

Story and illustration by Shinsuke Minegishi. Photo by Shinsuke Minegishi.

Art Beatus (Vancouver) Consultancy Ltd is very pleased to present a retrospective online exhibition of selected books by local artist, Shinsuke Minegishi. Better known as an acclaimed printmaker, Minegishi has been involved with bookmaking as an illustrator, publisher and writer for many years. In fact, his main book collaborator for over 40 years was his mother, Ryoko Minegishi, an accomplished writer, visual artist and educator who had a profound influence on her son. According to Shinsuke, “I have always been attracted to books. Not necessarily reading them, but being surrounded by, holding and creating them. It is evident that my mother, and her writer and artistic life, had a huge impact on my book creation. Her passion for art and books is in my blood.”

Ryoko's literary work in the books featured in this exhibition is in poetry form and her subject matter is usually quite personal. Her cycle of poems in mother was based on her experience of home care giving for her mother-in-law who suffered from severe dementia. Like his mother, Shinsuke also has a literary streak – he wrote a children's short story, Tale of Three Black Boxes, and an essay for Ars Anatomica and Nomi no Kai (A Group of Chisels).

Most of the books in this exhibition have been published by private press that has allowed Shinsuke more autonomy in creative decisions and involvement in many aspects of the bookmaking process. This includes printing his own illustrations, book binding by hand, and creating slip cases for the deluxe version of some of his books. Whether the books are hand bound or are in loose-leaf form, like my god, or whether the books contain text or no text, such as specimens of insects and Sakana, the personal care poured into these books and their exquisite quality are unequivocal.

Shinsuke Minegishi is a multiple award-winning print and book artist, educator and print studio technician whose works can be found in numerous public collections around the world. Born and raised in Tokyo, Japan, Minegishi moved to North America as a young adult before settling in Vancouver, BC where he still currently lives and works as a longtime studio technician at Emily Carr University of Art and Design.