Manga horror artist Junji Ito to open Hong Kong exhibition

Nowhere does “scary” better than Japan, and manga fans have a dark and dreadful treat in store next month when Junji Ito brings his work to Hong Kong.

Acknowledged as one of the horror genre’s foremost contemporary artists, the haunting creations of Ito’s mind-boggling imagination include Tomie, Uzumaki and Gyo – all of which have been adapted for films, animations or television series in Japan.

“Aesthetics of Horror: Junji Ito’s Exhibition in Hong Kong” will feature works exclusively created for local fans that set horror scenes in familiar streetscapes. The show will also offer a rare glimpse of Ito’s workspace and the artist’s creative process alongside six original manu­scripts from his Side Stories of Hanging Balloons made available especially for their Hong Kong premiere.

If that wasn’t sinister enough, augmented reality technology will bring characters to life for the first time in 10 scenes from comics including Spiral, Tomie, Soichi and Lovesick Dead.