Shigetaka Kurita: Emoji

Created in 1998 by Shigetaka Kurita, a young designer at the Japanese telecom company NTT DOCOMO, emoji are the body language of online speech, bringing nuance to our online interactions. They take their place in the long history of inventions that have improved human communication, including writing, the printing press, and computers. In this volume of the MoMA One on One series, collection specialist Paul Galloway traces the development of emoji—from a novelty feature included with early cell phones to the craze that took hold of Japanese youth culture in the 1990s to the global phenomenon and lingua franca of today. 48 pp.; 33 illus.

Each volume in the One on One series is a sustained meditation of a single work from the collection of The Museum of Modern Art. A richly illustrated and lively essay illuminates the subject in detail and situates that work within the artist’s life and career as well as within broader historical contexts. This series is an invaluable guide for exploring and interpreting some of the most beloved artworks in the Museum’s collection. View the entire series here.

Pages: 47
Dimensions: 184 × 228 mm
Format: Softcover
Language: English
Year: 2023
Publisher: Museum of Modern Art