AKIRA, cut no. 2211, solegraph
Artist: Hiroshi Ohno
Edition of 25 copies, numbered, signed by the artist
Solegraph (high-grade fine-art print)
Paper: Radiant White 270 g/m²
Format: 70 × 50 cm
Artwork: 52 × 36.5 cm
Please inquire for framing options.
This is the last painted background for AKIRA. It is not the last cut of the feature but the last “realistic” backdrop.
Painted by Hiroshi Ohno this piece consists of 4 layers, painted with poster color on paper and transparent foil (cels).
After the final explosion, Tetsuo’s friends find themselves on the outskirts of Neo Tokyo.
They drive off on their motorcycles into the ruins of the city.
In Japan’s post-war economy, construction and reconstruction have often been placed centre stage. In this so-called “construction state” (doken kokka), large amounts of public money have been used in numerous dam, highway and civic building projects. Whether such projects are necessary or in the public interest is highly questionable. As symbolized by the construction of the new Olympic Stadium and its subsequent destruction, AKIRA expresses the joy and sense of liberation that accompanies cataclysmic devastation, with its tearing down of old institutions.
The individual layers of the original production background
Layer #1. Base of the book cel setup, painted on paper.
Layer #2. Painted on cel.
Layer #3. Painted on cel.
Layer #4. Painted on paper, cut out and mounted on cel.
Note: For the break down of the individual layers we used the original scanning data before color correction. Therefore the colors are not exact values.
Stefan Riekeles explaining the layered structure
Video by Annika Paetsch, courtesy of Tchoban Foundation. Museum for Architectural Drawing, 2022.
