Fracture: Japanese Graphic Design 1875–1975 is an exhibition dedicated to the history of Japanese graphic design. The exhibition functions as an archive-on-display of a selection of the objects and artifacts published in the recent eponymous hybrid coffee table book/text book by designer, educator, critic, and historian Ian Lynam. Within, graphic design in Japan is explored from its foundations in the graphic arts to the immediate pre-digital design era.
The exhibition also features an exploded version of the book on-site, as well as designed objects from Japan since it re-opened to the West, exploring modernity, imperialism, gender, commercialism, sexuality, and aesthetics.
The exhibition ran from July 11–26, 2025 at UltraSuperNew Kura in Tokyo and will tour Europe in the latter half of 2026 and early 2027.
(More than half of the objects in the exhibit is stuff that couldn’t fit in the book.)
There are vitrines showcasing objects and publications, as well as dozens of posters on the walls, but there are only a sprinkling of hero-objects that the audience will be familiar with.
One of the highlights is that two copies of the same 1968 Tokyo Print Biennial poster designed by Yokoo Tadanori are included side-by-side—in this way, graphic design as something largely defined by its mass communicative function is underscored.
The exhibition features a custom carpet for exhibition signage in lieu of the usual wall graphics.
The exhibition also features seven vitrines of historical objects and artifacts, as well as printed spreads of the majority of the book pinned to the wall.
(There are a number of surprises and Easter eggs in the exhibition, as well.)
The exhibition also includes proof prints of the second edition of the book.
- Designer/curator
- Ian Lynam
- Photographer
- Kyle Broyles
- Translation
- Megumi Koiwai
- Installation
- Yuki Kameguchi
- Installation
- David Matthew Davis
- Installation
- Rika Muranushi
- Installation
- Patrick Tsai
- Installation
- Chris Macomber
- Installation
- Dalton Bruyns
- Installation
- Bucci Sue
- Installation
- Chris Gilbert
- Beverage Technician
- Chris Brookes
Project link
