Madonna – Adore Volume 2
100 Strictly Limited Edition
  • Published
    October 2021 by NJG.
  • Size
    205mm x 330mm
  • Cover
    Bound in canary yellow, foiled with de-bossed ebony lettering. The accompanying neon pink bellyband is hand sewn and foiled with ebony lettering.
  • Pages
    200
  • Images
    324 frames, 10 contact sheets, 114 large format black and white portraits, with the inclusion of 18 exterior and interior images shot in Tokyo.
  • Print
    254mm x 204mm signed and numbered digital fine art print.
  • ISBN
    978-1-9160718-4-1

It was January 1985, Tokyo – Madonna’s first visit to Japan to promote the ‘Like a Virgin’ album. Photographer Kenji Wakasugi was allotted 45 minutes for a photo session commissioned by Playboy Weekly Excite. In the studio there was one flash unit and one pink sofa, nothing else. Loaded with a mesh of now iconic references from early Gaultier and Westwood, to the Healthy Swimmer T-shirt and Boy Toy belt-buckle, the Takara Kronoform robot watch, to Maripol’s layered rubber and crucifix jewellery – time has done nothing to diminish the potency of these photographs.

The opening and closing pages of ADORE offer a further insight into Kenji’s 80s nocturnal world. A myriad of street neon’s and bustling commuters but amongst all the noise are Kenji’s beautifully serene interiors. These delicate Japanese motifs of flowers, birds, even an eclipse, punctuate the chaos. This paradoxical meeting of culture and nature is central to all Kenji’s subsequent work as a serious artist.

ADORE Volume 2 is the complete overview of the session – 200 pages include 324 frames, 10 contact sheets, together with 114 large format black and white portraits. This selection of images is entirely different from Volume 1 – apart from the car sequence, which contains 4 alternate selects. Furthermore, the design of this art-book pays homage to Japanese 80s minimalism. The canary yellow cover features only the title ADORE debossed in ebony lettering. Madonna’s name is foiled in Japanese text on the accompanying neon pink bellyband (hand sewn) – the idea being that the book itself becomes an object of beauty.  

The ‘Strictly Limited Edition’ includes a signed and numbered fine art digital print by Kenji Wakasugi. Printed on archival satin finish, acid and lignin free paper. This portrait originally appeared in Volume 1, it does not appear inside Volume 2. This edition also includes the neon pink bellyband, together with signed and numbered certificate by Kenji Wakasugi.

PLEASE NOTE BOOKS WILL SHIP FROM 15TH NOVEMBER 2021 however shipping remains subject to change and delays may occur should further local Covid 19 measures be put in place. Orders can take up to 48 – 72 hours to process during busy periods.

AS OF 1ST JULY 2021 OWING TO NEW EU RULES, LOCAL VAT RATES WILL BE APPLIED AT CHECKOUT FOR ALL ORDERS WITHIN THE EUROPEAN UNION. The books are non refundable. Additional customs fees are the responsibility of the buyer.