Henry Darger: Living the Unreal (Corona Books)

This book approaches the world of Henry Darger's picture story "In the Realms of the Unreal," unraveling the immense body of work spun out of a solitary life and the life behind it.

Darger, a solitary figure, continued to create for about 60 years without anyone knowing. His epic story of the girl warriors, the Vivian Girls, fighting adults who enslave children, intertwined with autobiographical elements, blurs the line between reality and unreality. Fifty-three color illustrations and excerpts from the text present the full scope of his unique imagery.

After his death, his landlord, Nathan Lerner, discovered and preserved his works, which eventually came to be recognized as representative of outsider art. His unique methods, utilizing collage and tracing, the repetitive images of girls, and a world where eroticism and violence, innocence and cruelty coexist, leave a powerful impression on the viewer.

It also includes multifaceted texts such as a critique by Takashi Nibuya, poetry by Etsuko Yakushimaru, and an essay by Kyohei Sakaguchi. These texts highlight Darger's unique existence and the inexhaustible charm of his creations.

[Title] Henry Darger: Living the Unreal (Corona Books)
[Publisher] Heibonsha
[Publication Date] December 20, 2013 (First Edition, First Printing)
[Page Count] 151 pages
[Size] Approximately 168*218*11mm / 330g
[Format] Softcover
[Language] Japanese
[Title Reading] HENRY DARGER HIGENJITSU WO IKIRU (CORONA BOOKS)
[Author/Editor] Yukiko Koide/Editor, Kyohei Sakaguchi/Author, Takashi Nibuya/Author, Etsuko Yakushimaru/Author, Tomoko Kumagai/Book Design & Layout
[Printing] Tokyo Printing Company/Printing & Binding
[ISBN] 9784582634778
[Condition] Used 【7】Good
[Accessories] Obi
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Yukiko Koide

Japanese independent curator.
After graduating from Waseda University, she worked at Shiseido, then went independent in 1990. Based in Tokyo and Chicago, she began organizing art exhibitions and publishing.

She is particularly known as a pioneer in the field of outsider art and Art Brut, having introduced important artists from Japan and abroad, including Bill Traylor (1992), Judith Scott (2001), and Henry Darger (2011).

In 2000, she established Yukiko Koide Office, adding a gallery space in 2003. Since 2006, she has also participated in international art fairs, showcasing exhibitions that transcend genres and evaluative criteria.

Transcending categories such as race, gender, educational background, and disability, she continues to present diverse possibilities of expression, with the theme of exploring "the origin of human expression."

Henry Joseph Darger ( Henry Darger) 1892-1973

Born in Chicago, USA, on April 12, 1892. Outsider artist.

Lost his mother in childhood and separated from his father. After living in orphanages and institutions, he worked as a hospital cleaner in adulthood, living a solitary life with almost no interaction with society. Meanwhile, he confined himself to his room and engaged in extensive creative activities for decades.

His representative work, "In the Realms of the Unreal," is an epic picture story consisting of over 10,000 pages of text and hundreds of illustrations, depicting the Vivian Girls, girl warriors, fighting to save children. His unique techniques using collage and tracing paper, and images combining excerpts from magazines and advertisements, form a peculiar world where innocence and violence intertwine.
He died on April 13, 1973.

Darger's works were never publicly known during his lifetime. After his death in 1973, they were discovered and preserved by his landlord, Nathan Lerner. Subsequently, he gained international recognition as a representative artist of outsider art.

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