groovisions meets GEISAI

Attention all artists and aspiring artists, have you completed your application for GEISAI#14?

Today, we’ll introduce you to one of the members of our distinguished panel of jurors: Hiroshi Ito from the design collective Groovisions. A far cry from the rabbit in his profile photo, Mr. Ito is actually quite the looker (he’s recently grown his hair out which has given him an even greater air of style) and his company have been an instrumental part of GEISAI’s long history.

To find the beginning of this tale, we need to stretch our memories back eight years to GEISAI#2 “Counterattack of the Dream Factory,” where Groovisions contributed an artist booth. Having just created their brand that year at the Parco gallery, the booth was a showcase of the group’s copyrights. The artist booths from GEISAI#2 were an experiment in which we gave space to top artists to exhibit alongside the official registrants. Other contributions included Makoto Aida’s “One-man Protest Machine,” a fleamarket by Yoshitomo Nara, and live painting by MAYA MAXX. At the time, it was an extravagant lineup that truly captured the heartbeat of the Japanese contemporary scene.


Fictional recording artist Chappi, created by Groovisions. The gleaming gold of her artificial skin tone and otherworldly cuteness caught the eyes of all passers-by.




Even now, the design still looks fresh. Hats off to Groovisions’s indisputable taste!

These days, the group are attempting to change the mode in which works are presented to the public, both in and out of Japan. For this purpose, they have participated in several group exhibitions overseas. One such exhibition was the Takashi Murakami curated show Superflat, which toured Los Angeles, Seattle, and Minneapolis.


An army of orange Chappis from the exhibition Superflat (Walker Center, Minneapolis). 2001.

As many of you already know, Groovisions also provided art direction for our new eco-themed green logo, as well as the logo for GEISAI#12. Perhaps inspired by the rock garden of Ryōan-ji temple or ancient braids, the new design is one that captures the elegance of traditional Japanese aesthetics. We are reminded of the words of Professor Nobuo Tsuji: “the heart of Japanese beauty is in the kazari (decoration).” Thank you to Groovisions for giving us an image that truly embodies this idea.


Groovisions have a hand in everything from print materials for advertising, pamphlets, tickets, and passes. They also create maps that greet you at the entrance and outside and the video feed seen inside the event hall.







They also designed for us some special GEISAI themed paper bags which allow guests to carry home the artworks they’ve purchased.




On the outside is the event’s crest, the Japanese character “ge”.
Inside is an elaborate pattern cleverly concealing an all Japanese spirit!

Blending the lines between GEISAI and environmentalism, art and design, Groovisions does it all. They are truly one of Japan’s top design firms. What artist will catch the eye of this frontrunner of our times, Mr. Hiroshi Ito? It could be you! Apply now!

Photos: Natsu tanimoto/Hideyuki Motegi/Kikuchi Kurage/Joshua White/GEISAI Administrative Committee