Cool Hunting

by Ariston Anderson

After the recent publication of a few books focusing on graffiti in Asia, photographer Remo Camerota is bringing his two cents to the table with his new book "Graffiti Japan."

For anyone that has visited Tokyo, it's no secret that Japanese graffiti artists, while of course influenced by the New York scene, have created a beast all of their own with the popular influences of calligraphy, kanji, and anime and magna characters. You may have come across KAMI and SUSU, who have traveled the world in group and solo shows, but there's a whole other scene out on the streets. Yet for anyone who hasn't been there, it's hard to get a hold of these images.

Camerota spent years documenting rackgaki, or the Japanese graffiti scene, to bring this local tradition to the mainstream. Supplemented with interviews from BELX2, EMAR, FATE, KRESS, SUIKO and TENGA, the book provides a new definition on street painting in Japan. But it's worth viewing just for the intricacies and depth of the Japanese murals alone. In many ways they're picking up on the crew scene where American artists have left off.

The book is available for purchase from Amazon or Powell's.