Plastique

Our good friend Ivan Vartanian is an independent publisher and book producer based in Tokyo. He is the founder of Goliga Books and with a very small staff has created some fascinating books. Two favourites are Drop Dead Cute on young Japanese women artists and Setting Sun: Writings by Japanese Photographers. Ivan has just sent us his latest book which is a very different sort of treat. Full Vinyl: the Subversive World of Designer Toys comes with its own key chain, a very cool corrugated card cover and 208 pages of great illustrations of vinyl toys from all over the world. Vinyl mania has even picked up in Wellington with the launch of the store Pop-Up last year.
Left: Full Vinyl published by Goliga Books Inc, Tokyo. Right Silver Pushead by Kaws 2006 one of an edition of 500. KAWS is, in fact, a Jersey City born and Brooklyn based artist. He has his own store Original Fake in Aoyama, Tokyo.