Below, we continue our reports on the current activities of past GEISAI award recipients.

Issei Okuda, who was ranked #10 in our audience survey at GEISAI#18, was recently awarded Second-place in the Comic Illustration Competition at the Kobe Biennale 2013.

Kobe Biennale Official website: http://goo.gl/lsK9Nz
His work has been highly praised for its delicate detail and fantastical vision.

Click below for a look at Okuda’s booth at GEISAI.
http://goo.gl/VD42Qj
Congratulations on the award!

Continuing on, Kousakuten – Morigumi –who ranked 6th place in the GEISAI#18 survey, was invited to participate in the Ichihanari Art Project in Okinawa’s Uruma-city.

Ref: Kousakuten – Morigumi on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/kousakuten.jp Ichihana Art Project on Facebook: http://goo.gl/4bFpi6

Click here to see her booth at GEISAI.
http://goo.gl/quixef

Kousakuten was also a recipient of Yoshitomo Nara’s personal award at GEISAI Taiwan#2, and amazingly enough, Sano Yuki, who received Kashiwa Sato’s personal award at the same event. has now become one of the members of Kousakuten Collective.

Lastly, we visit Erina Matsui, who was awarded the gold prize at GEISAI#6 and has gone on to become a celebrity in her own right. We note that her work is now being exhibited alongside many other important Japanese artists in the new exhibition “Takahashi Collection - Mindfulness!” at the Kirishima Open-Air Museum..

Kirishima Open-Air Museum Official website
http://open-air-museum.org/events/event-1303

Click here to watch Erina Matsui’s interview for GEISAI TV.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbgW4XKVimU

Attention applicants for GEISAI#19: We have now begun sending out the exhibitor guidelines. If you are already confirmed as an exhibitor, please be sure to check it and be prepared on the day of the event.

We look forward to hearing from you.