Uno Aquirax (宇野亜喜良) Silk‑Screen Poster – Lineage of the Love Slave (愛奴の系譜), 1968, B1 Size (c.72 × 103 cm)

Uno Aquirax (宇野亜喜良) Silk‑Screen Poster – Lineage of the Love Slave (愛奴の系譜), 1968, B1 Size (c.72 × 103 cm) 

This is an original Japanese silk‑screen poster printed in 1968. It is an ultra‑rare piece by visionary illustrator Uno Aquirax (also romanised “Aquirax Uno”), famed for his psychedelic, erotic‑surreal style. Examples of Uno’s 1960s silk screens hang in major institutions such as the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, and were featured in the 2022‑23 retrospective AQUIRAX UNO: Kaleidoscope at Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery. Finding this poster in any state is exceptionally difficult; in the near‑mint condition offered here, it is almost unheard‑of.

Linen backing & condition

The poster has been professionally linen‑backed by Fourth Cone Restoration in California, widely regarded as one of the world’s premier conservation studios. Their work is best‑in‑class—edges have been expertly flattened, colours remain vivid, and the overall finish presents beautifully for display. The result is a near‑mint, exhibition‑ready piece suitable for the finest collections.

Why this poster matters

Uno emerged from Tokyo’s 1960s underground theatre and design scenes alongside peers such as Tadanori Yokoo and Kiyoshi Awazu. Where Pop artists “descended into the everyday,” Uno channelled decadent European engraving, fin‑de‑siècle erotica and dream‑logic surrealism, merging them with Japanese sub‑culture. Lineage of the Love Slave was created to promote critic Isamu Kurita’s novel of the same name (Futabasha, 1968). The voluptuous, free‑floating nude, Dalí‑like vistas and baroque flourishes epitomise Uno’s attempt to “re‑enchant” modern graphic design with pre‑modern camp and erotic fantasy.

In 1968, silk‑screen was the most economical way to print short‑run art posters—only around 100 copies were needed for avant‑garde bookshops and small theatres. The process’s limits (flat colour planes, coarse halftones) became its allure: like ukiyo‑e or lithography, each pass of ink imparted a handcrafted tactility impossible in offset printing. Such primitive imperfection aligned perfectly with Uno’s sub‑cultural aims, giving the work both the intimacy of printmaking and the immediacy of pop agitation.

• Over 57 years old!

• Near‑mint condition and expert linen backing by Fourth Cone Restoration.

• Not a reproduction or re‑print.

• Certificate of Authenticity included.

Please refer to the imagery as this is the exact poster that is for sale.