Anime Architecture is an exhibition that traces the architectural world-building process of Japan’s most influential animated science fiction films. Curated by Stefan Riekeles for Les Jardins des Pilotes, the exhibition casts a spotlight on meticulous hand-drawn backdrops that bring to life the fictitious urban environments of iconic cyberpunk anime.

From location photographs and concept sketches in detailed pencil drawings, through to final expression as anime cels in full colour, Anime Architecture reveals some of the intricate creative processes behind iconic Japanese animated films Patlabor: the Movie, Osamu Tezuka’s Metropolis, Ghost in the Shell, and Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence. Amongst illustrations on display are works by Hiromasa Ogura, Takashi Watabe, Haruhiko Higami, Mamoru Oshii and Atsushi Takeuchi, Japanese animators who worked during the peak of hand-drawn animation.

The exhibition is accompanied by an event series, featuring works and talks.

Header Image: Background illustration for Ghost in the Shell (1995), cut 477. Watercolour on paper and acrylic on transparent film, 270 × 390mm. Illustrator: Hiromasa Ogura © 1995 Shirow Masamune / KODANSHA · BANDAI VISUAL · MANGA ENTERTAINMENT Ltd.