Illustrator HARUNE is holding the solo exhibition "MASHUP" at Garari Showcase (ガラリshowcase), a café and gallery next to Hokusai-kan (北斎館) in Obuse, Nagano. The show runs from Friday, November 6 to Tuesday, December 1, 2026, and brings together tradition and modernity, the world of Katsushika Hokusai, and Heisei-era culture.
HARUNE is known for pop, colorful, playful illustrations. The artist was selected in the "Next-Generation Artist Discovery Project" (次世代アーティスト発掘プロジェクト) held at Garari Showcase two years ago, and has drawn attention at the gallery ever since. HARUNE combines traditional Japanese patterns and crafts with modern and futuristic elements to create a playful world.
For this exhibition, 10 new analog works are on display. They differ somewhat from the vivid, pop digital illustrations HARUNE has pursued so far and show a new side of "HARUNE-ism."
Exhibition Details
- Title: HARUNE Solo Exhibition "MASHUP"
- Dates: Friday, November 6 to Tuesday, December 1, 2026
- Venue: Garari Showcase (ガラリshowcase), a café and gallery next to Hokusai-kan
- Address: 2nd floor of Garari, 485 Obuse, Obuse-machi, Kamitakai-gun, Nagano Prefecture
- Admission: Free
- Hours: 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
- Closed: Wednesdays
Highlights
Hokusai's Dragon and Phoenix Become Modern Fashion Icons
Bijin-ga series (美人画シリーズ): Ryusho Hobu (龍翔鳳舞), created by HARUNE in 2026
The exhibition includes homage works inspired by the art of Katsushika Hokusai. HARUNE focused on two of Hokusai's ceiling paintings for the Higashimachi festival float (東町祭屋台), the Dragon (《龍図》) and the Phoenix (《鳳凰図》). While keeping the colors, atmosphere, and appeal of the motifs in the originals, HARUNE brought in ideas from fashion illustration and character design, and reimagined the dragon and phoenix as modern characters.
The dragon-inspired character has fiery red hair and lively braids. The jacket features cloud (雲取り) and scale patterns, turning the dragon's strength into fashion. The phoenix-inspired character has a feather-like hairstyle and accessories in an arrow-feather pattern (矢絣) inspired by birds. An obi-style corset that expresses the graceful flow of the phoenix's tail and floral-print pants combine a glamorous look with a modern style.
Hokusai's two ceiling paintings appear in a completely new outfit, shaped by HARUNE's sense of color and free imagination. The works blend tradition and modernity, and Japanese style and pop, on a foundation of respect for the originals.
New Colors from the Texture of Analog Art
The 10 analog works come from two series: the Bijin-ga series (美人画シリーズ), which includes the Hokusai homage Ryusho Hobu, and the Maneki-neko series (まねきねこシリーズ). The soft colors and textures of watercolors and colored pencils carry on the pop style of HARUNE's earlier work while showing a new side of the artist.
The Bijin-ga series combines traditional Japanese auspicious patterns (縁起文様) with fashion reminiscent of 2000s culture. Traditional motifs and the styles of that era meet in portraits of beautiful women that could only be made today. The Maneki-neko series features nostalgic items such as feature phones (ガラケー). Visitors can enjoy the charm of one-of-a-kind works, including the bleeding of colors, the transparency, the fine lines and textures, and the Heisei-era culture (平成カルチャー) scattered throughout the pieces.
Bijin-ga series (美人画シリーズ): Sho-Chiku-Bai (松竹梅), created by HARUNE in 2026
Maneki-neko series (招き猫シリーズ): GENERATE, created by HARUNE in 2026
Comment from the Artist
The title "MASHUP" carries the meaning of creating new expression by combining different elements.
I usually pursue expression that combines traditional Japanese patterns and crafts with modern and futuristic elements. This time, in addition to that, I also took on a new kind of expression that combines Y2K elements reminiscent of the Heisei culture of the 2000s with traditional Japanese culture. I hope the exhibition lets visitors enjoy both the style I have continued and the new attempt that broadens it a little.
In the Hokusai homage works, rather than faithfully reproducing the originals, I valued the inspiration I received from the works as a whole, such as the use of color, the atmosphere, and the choice of motifs. To that, I added elements of the fashion illustration and character design I am good at, and turned traditional motifs into a modern style.
While carrying on the appeal of Hokusai's works, they connect to the present and a new world is born. I hope that through this exhibition, visitors can feel the fun of such expression.
— HARUNE
About the Artist
HARUNE is an illustrator born in 1996 in Niigata Prefecture, where the artist still lives. HARUNE specializes in pop, colorful, playful illustrations with a Japanese-style accent.
About Garari Showcase
Obuse is famous as a place associated with Katsushika Hokusai in his later years. Hokusai-kan, which preserves Hokusai's works and culture, has focused its exhibitions on Hokusai as an artist of the "past." Garari Showcase focuses on the "present" and presents two themes: "Obuse x Contemporary Masters" (小布施×現代の匠), which exhibits and sells works by local artists and artists connected to Obuse, and "Hokusai x Contemporary Masters" (北斎×現代の匠), which exhibits and sells works that rearrange Hokusai's art.
The gallery aims to share the creativity and artistry that have lived on in Obuse since Hokusai's time (the Edo period) with visitors to the town and local residents.
