RackGaki

The first dedicated to Japan's explosive graffiti scene, this book illustrates the work of the major graffiti artists - or "writers" - working in Japan today. The word for graffiti in Japan is rakugaki, but its street pronunciation is rackgaki, punning on the English graffiti term for "racking" spraycans. "RackGaki" showcases the creativity that lies within this new and relatively unexplored form of contemporary Japanese art. Interviews with the "writers" and the authors' own experiences in documenting the different aspects of this subculture, fill out a picture of an art form at the cutting edge and often at odds with police and civic authorities. An accompanying DVD brings to life the still imagery of the book, focusing on the different environments which serve as the Japanese graffiti writers' canvas. There is also footage of graffiti being created, both legal and illegal. Set to a soundtrack by some of Japan's leading Trip-Hop artists, the viewer is fully immersed in the subculture that is Japanese graffiti. The DVD includes a 28-minute documentary that focuses on a variety of locations synonymous with Japanese graffiti and which feature in the Writers section of the book: from a spooky abandoned hospital to Japan's graffiti hall of fame, the kilometer long Sakuragi-cho railway underpass. It also features live-action footage of illegal graffiti. Music by the Japan-based Dj Quietstorm, Namachu, Dj Baku and Goth-Trad provides the principal soundtrack, with writers' voiceovers in Japanese (with English subtitles).