HCC Paris present “Super Deformism”, a solo exhibition by SNEAKERWOLF this is Sneakerwolf’s first European exhibition, coinciding with Art Basel Paris.
After Supreme, Nike, Asics and more, the Tokyo-Based artist collaborated in 2024 with Helinox for a
range of accessories. The exhibition will show unique pieces created around the theme of Super Deformism, a drawing deformation derived from historic Japanese calligraphy called Edomoji.
Super Deformism, the title of this exhibition, is a concept proposed by Sneakerwolf based on super
deformation in Japanese anime culture. Super Deformism is a drawing expression that emphasizes cuteness rather than realism by shrinking characters and motifs to two to four heads in height through
exaggerated expressions.
In the course of his creative activities over the years, Sneakerwolf has come to the conclusion that “Edo-
moji,” a super-deformed form of calligraphy, is the origin of such expression, and then coined “Super Deformism” term to express this belief.
In this exhibition, he explored this concept and created abstract works with Japanese originality by super deforming brushstrokes rather than letters or calligraphy, in order to show more clearly the aesthetic sense and spirituality of the Japanese people.
Tokyo-based artist Sneakerwolf is renowned for his exploration of Edo-moji, traditional design characters derived from stylized calligraphy, visible on landmarks like Kaminarimon, Hanten, and Sen- ja-fuda. His extensive research led him to declare Edo-moji as the world’s first graffiti art, inspiring him to create his own original Edo-moji alphabets integrated with kanji characters. Although he initially worked privately from around 2000, Sneakerwolf launched his full-fledged artistic career in 2017, merging graffiti and pop art textures into a unique artistic style.
Since then, he has collaborated with and supplied artwork for prominent brands such as NIKE, ASICS, Supreme, BAPE, and FCRB. Recently, his artistic expression has expanded to include abstract works like brush strokes and figurative pieces like characters, alongside his signature word art.
This evolution is grounded in his artistic philosophy of “Super Deformism”, which connects the structure of Edo characters to the super-deformed style prevalent in contemporary anime culture.
Through his diverse artistic pursuits, Sneakerwolf seeks to dissolve boundaries between Eastern and
Western cultures, letters and paintings, high and low art, and other traditional dichotomies.
Sneakerwolf, SUPER DEFORMISM, October 16th to 30th 2024, Helinox Creative Center
