Iku Dekune Exhibition
I visited the ILF Douga Museum of Art in Okaya City, came to see the “Iku Dekune Exhibition” being held at the museum.
There was a gallery talk by the artist herself (April 19), so I chose that day.
Iku Dekune is a picture book artist who made her debut in 1994 with “Ofuro” (Bathroom).
In 2003, she won the Grand Prix at the Plastilava International Picture Book Original Drawing Exhibition for her illustration of “Amefurashi (The Sea-Hare by the Brothers Grimm)".
She has drawn picture books based on Czech folk tales and illustrations for books, and recently she has been working on creative picture books in which she produces both the pictures and the text herself.
Among the original illustrations on display, my favorites were “Amefurashi,” “Mascia and the White Bird,” and “The Twelve Months".
I was also interested in the anecdotes related to his picture book, “My Dolly” as told by the artist herself.
After seeing the exhibition, I went to the museum shop to choose a picture book, but since I could not afford to buy many books, I chose “The Twelve Months” (Rewrite : Božena Němcová, Text and illustration : Iku Dekune / Kaiseisha / 2008 ) after much deliberation.
I also bought “The Fire Bird and the Fox Rishka,” (Edit and translated by Yuko Kimura, illustrated by Iku Dekune / Iwanami Shonen Bunko / 2021).
One of my most memorable experiences with the Czech Republic was when I went to an exhibition of Czech-born Alphonse Mucha (The National Art Center, Tokyo, 2017).
The Czech puppets on display there had a great atmosphere. (See previous article for images.)
I felt that these puppets and some picture books by Iku Dekune had a similar atmosphere, which reminded me of the puppets.
The exhibition of Iku Dekune’s work will be on view from April 17, 2025 to June 16, 2025. The exhibition is currently being held, so I would like to recommend it.
In addition, the ILF Douga Museum of Art will offer free admission on Saturday, May 10, in commemoration of “The Day of Douga" (The day of Pictures for children).
The term “Douga” was first used by Takeo Takei at his first solo exhibition “Takeo Takei DOUGA Exhibition” held in Tokyo in 1925, and later became popular.
The ILF Douga Museum of Art exhibits Takeo Takei’s works too.
Some of the exhibition rooms can be photographed, so photos will be posted here.
ILF Douga Museum of Art
Closed: Wednesdays
Hours: 9:00 – 18:00 (admission until 17:30)
Admission: Adults 500 yen, Junior and senior high school students 310 yen, Elementary school students 160 yen