Dirty Girl Things
Monday, September 24, 2007
Number One-Hundred-Twelve
The Strange World of Women’s Private Time
Interview by Jon, PingMag (August 2006)
Tucked away in a quiet, Aoyama backstreet is Space Yui, a charming little event space that is currently host to an unusual exhibition by illustrator Makiko Sugawa. Entitled “Women’s Private Time”, this collection of 50 line drawings depicts women in a variety of positions and situations - from the erotic to the bizarre. PingMag had the chance to ask Makiko some quick questions about her illustrations.
An Osaka resident, “Women’s Private Time” is Makiko’s first exhibition in Tokyo.
“Lace Queen” is a play on words - “Race Queen” is the Japanese word for a bikini-clad female racing car model.
PingMag: In your illustrations, more so than facial features or body detail, my eyes are drawn to the clothes. They are so detailed and fashionable - do you have any aspirations in fashion design?
Makiko: I love to draw them but sadly I have absolutely no skills in making clothes! Illustration allows me to experiment - as you can see with all the lace detailing and beadwork. I think yes, it might be fun to prototype clothes on paper for a fashion house.
I think Agent Provocateur should give you a call…
Other than lacy lingerie, some illustrations featured archetypal “erotic” costumes, such as the above nurse.
This exhibition focuses on what you call “Women’s Private Time” - I wonder, would you ever consider doing something similar with men as the focus?
Haha no! I’ve only tried to draw men a few times - I’m just no good at it! But also, I find it so much more interesting to draw women - there’s a real sensuality, a sense of drama; lots of underlying emotions and themes that make it much more satisfying, to me.
The illustrations with the small animal characters are among Makiko’s latest (and currently favourite) work.
A series of 6 illustrations in this exhibition features a sexy, female form - with a false leg or even an amputated leg. How do you think audiences react to this?
Naturally I expect it to have some kind of impact. I think it creates an interesting contrast - we have this erotic female form dressed in lingerie, with a rather mechanical looking leg. I wonder if it’s then possible for the audience to attach a sense of beauty to something that is mechanical, artificial?
Something like sexiness by osmosis…
Yes. Also, I wanted to see if such a style could even be considered fashionable in its own right.
Beautifully detailed lacework on the girls’ underwear
The Good Girl’s Guide To Bad Girl Sex
Makiko’s illustration work can also be seen in the Japanese translation of The Good Girl’s Guide To Bad Girl Sex, shown above.
“Women’s Private Time” illustrations and information can be seen here.
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Sincerely.
Eve and JW3 and Mélisande
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