Illustration format: 59.4 x 42 cm (or 23.23 x 16.53 inches), limited numbered and signed (25 copies), high quality printing on Radiant White 270 g/2.

The context

This illustration shows the production imageboard, used during pre-production to create the artwork for the film Ghost in the Shell. This is what the artist had to say during an interview with Stefan Riekeles in January 2023:

“It was the rainy season. When we entered shops, the air conditioning was blasting, creating a stark contrast with the humid outdoors. We were documenting with film, not realizing that this would cause a lens-flare effect. But it was great. Very atmospheric. I realized that this was something to use. The images look almost wet. Buildings in Hong Kong always had exhaust fans, dripping with water, which mixed with the rain, everything combining in a soup below. Those photographs captured all of that, with light blurring beautifully. I thought it was cool and thought about how to incorporate it to get that feeling. The main palette is subdued, with bright colors used to emphasize focal points.”

The scene as seen in context of the film:

The artist - Hiromasa Ogura

(photo © Yasuyuki Takagi, 2021)

Hiromasa Ogura is the art director of Ghost in the Shell and a Japanese background artist. He's one of the founder of Studio Fuga, alongside Hiroshi Ono and Toshiharu Mizutani. He decided later on to open his own studio, the Ogura Koubou studio in 2007 and recently worked on the much anticipated Junji Ito collection (2018).

Ghost in the Shell - The story

The poster

This print is published by Galerie Riekeles, in collaboration with the author and Kodansha. It is a high-quality reproduction, as faithful as possible to the original work, accurately rendering down to the smallest detail the breathtaking landscapes and backgrounds that made the anime from which they are taken international successes. The care taken with the choice of paper and the printing technique make these posters a real collector's item.

Ghost in the Shell - The author

A video to find out more about the creator of Ghost in the Shell, Masamune Shirow.