Kit Brooks – författare

Abandoned at birth, Ace struggles to survive both human and animal predators in his quest to save himself-and his entire species-in this epic middle grade fantasy for fans of Warrior Cats, starring the X-Men of the sea: axolotls.There's danger lurking in the depths of the lake. Ace learns this early when his twin brother cruelly devours his tail and leaves him for dead. Separated from his family, he is cast off into the depths of a perilous waterway. Ace is wary to trust others, but his survival will depend on it as he navigates treacherous algae blooms and hunts for food, all while he waits for his tail to regenerate. And when he stumbles upon a glowing green axolotl named Ariel, he learns that with training axolotls can develop an incredible power: immortality. With high rewards come unspeakable risks, and Ace has been hurt before. But the potential to cheat death might be too hard to resist.This action-packed adventure explores the strength that develops through adversity as Ace confronts bullying, betrayal, poisoned waters and vicious predators, all while forming lasting bonds with the courageous axolotls he meets along the way.

For fans of the Warrior Cats franchise, this action-packed sequel follows Zephyr, a tank-bred axolotl newly freed into the lake whose rebel faction is intent on destroying the Immortal Code.Zephyr isn't out to make friends. After a grueling escape from an axolotl breeding facility all he cares about is being reunited with his sister Luna. He places his trust in Neptune, a wise tiger salamander, who promises to look for her. But the search is fraught, and Neptune refuses to venture above in the dark. Feeling betrayed, Zephyr sets off on his own and soon encounters Jasper, an ambitious axolotl hungry for power. Zephyr quickly finds himself embroiled in a fight between axolotls who believe regeneration is the key to survival and others who want to evolve and roam free. The struggle for power is vicious, and there are many more dangers waiting for them both above and below the surface of the lake.This thrilling adventure is complete with legendary battles, incredible alliances, and a moving search for a sense of belonging at the heart of it all.

A stunning exploration of a landmark series of prints by one of Japan’s most inventive contemporary artistsTakeda Hideo has worked across media throughout his long career, from painting and print design to cartooning, photography, and sculpture. Endlessly flexible, frequently surprising, and often surreal, his work injects dark humor into a wide range of subjects, with a touch of irreverence and incorporating sexual elements, distortion, and dynamic composition. This book examines the body of work for which Takeda is best known, Genpei, a series of silkscreens portraying battle scenes from the twelfth-century Genpei War.Kit Brooks looks at the ways in which the series challenges the romanticization of war and long-standing attitudes about Japan’s classical past. Previous scholarship has often characterized Genpei as a successor to a long tradition of representing The Tale of the Heike, a Japanese literary classic that narrativizes the Genpei War and romanticizes the conflict. Takeda’s selection of episodes overwhelmingly highlights acts of betrayal, cowardice, and cruelty on the part of the samurai “heroes.” Brooks argues that the series is part of a wider twentieth-century turn that challenged the perpetuation of outdated and hypocritical values of the samurai in Japanese society, thus positioning Takeda as a forerunner to well-known international artists like the global phenomenon Murakami Takashi, who have similarly reworked historical Japanese aesthetics with a flat, comic-like visuality as a means to address contemporary social issues.The first major book in English on the artist in several decades, Takeda Hideo’s “Genpei” features an interview with the artist in both English and Japanese.Distributed for the Princeton University Art Museum

STAGING THE SUPERNATURAL presents striking, eerie nineteenth-century woodblock prints from Japan that feature ghosts, demons, and other supernatural entities. The book digs into the country's rich folkloric traditions and how they were brought to life on stage, with insightful essays that explore the depiction of spirits through the centuries, the relationship between printed images and cultural imagination, and how kabuki and Noh theatre performances reflect Japan's deep connection to and shifting notions of the supernatural. The detailed art invites readers to admire the artistic quality and techniques employed to accentuate supernaturalism, including embossing, mica application, and metallic pigments. The prints offer a window into Japan's 19th-century pop culture and will appeal to fans of contemporary anime and manga, which is often influenced by these images. Equal part art and commentary, the book includes: · 40 gorgeous woodblock prints with extended text entries · Introduction from Pearl Moskowitz, who gifted many of the featured prints to the museum in 2021 · Essay from museum curator Kit Brooks that explores special effects in kabuki theatre ghost plays and their representation in souvenir woodblocks · Essay from museum curator Frank Feltens on Tsukioka Kôgyo, the first artist to render the eerie atmosphere of Noh plays in prints Spooky, fascinating, and fun, this is an ideal book for lovers of Japanese art, folklore, horror, and history.

Known as the “Rainbow Artist” for the prominent bright motif in his work, Ay-Ô has long referred to this compulsion as his “rainbow hell.” Ay-Ô: Happy Rainbow Hell invites readers into the vibrant world of his brilliant art, mind, and imagination, featuring artwork from the first major US museum exhibition devoted to his work. Printed on heavy 100# paper and in 6 colour to achieve Ay-Ô's vibrant colour palette, the book is its own stunning art object. It presents approximately 140 gorgeous illustrations from the Smithsonian's Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, home to the largest US collection of Ay-Ô's silkscreen prints, and loans from other US institutions along with enlightening catalogue entries to better appreciate each piece. Additionally, the book includes: · An essay from Kit Brooks, the Japan Foundation Assistant Curator of Japanese Art, that provides a biography of Ay-Ô; explores the artist's fluctuating explanations for his rainbow fixation and its simultaneous liberation and restriction; and emphasizes his legacy as an eminent member of Fluxus, an experimental art group in the 1960s and 1970s. · An illustrated essay from Ay-Ô's longtime printer Sukeda Kenryô, where he describes his painstaking work to translate the artist's designs onto prismatic silkscreen prints, work that can take up to a year to accomplish. · A message from the artist Ay-Ô himself. Ay-Ô: Happy Rainbow Hell is a colourful and comprehensive book that pays tribute to an extraordinary career and legacy as luminous as the art itself.