Chinatsu Ban

Chinatsu Ban’s work is especially popular among Japan’s liberal and feminist subcultures, a position which she further strengthened by illustrating the opening animation of a documentary television series on independent women and co-illustrating a children’s book which encourages social independence in young readers. From LOHAS to fans of the paranormal, the Japanese subculture scene has long been linked to dissatisfaction with and antagonism toward reality. This unease has grown more prevalent in the aftermath of 311 and the nuclear disaster, meshing artistically with surrealism to produce a desire for worlds which provide an escape from the nightmares of the present. In this way, Ban’s works connect with the most vividly felt emotions of the modern Japanese woman and act as a source of powerful comfort.