Japan Creative Centre (JCC), the Chihiro Art Museum, and the Singapore Book Council (SBC) are proud to showcase a special exhibition that brings together picture book illustrations from Singapore and Japan, curated around the shared themes of peace and friendship. Part of the 17th Asian Festival of Children's Content (AFCC) 2026, the exhibition explores how picture books portray relationships between individuals, communities, and the environment, offering insights into how societies imagine connection in everyday life.

Come experience the richness of artistic styles and visual storytelling from both countries, resonating with AFCC 2026’s theme, The Worlds We Make. Featured artists include Chihiro Iwasaki and The Cabin Company from Japan, as well as Kwan Shan Mei and Josef Lee from Singapore. There will also be an Opening Panel on 23 May at the National Library.

This exhibition is part of the official celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Singapore and Japan (SJ60).

Often a child’s first encounter with both literature and visual art, picture books provide a powerful entry point into different cultural worlds. They nurture imagination, emotional understanding, and aesthetic sensibility, while transcending language and age.

Curated by the Chihiro Art Museum and the Singapore Book Council, the exhibition forms part of the broader celebration of Singapore–Japan ties through the arts and cultural exchange.

Suekichi Akaba started energetically creating picture books at the age of 50, and during the subsequent 30 years until his death in 1990, he published over 80 picture books. In 1980, he became the first Japanese recipient of the Hans Christian Andersen Award, the highest honour for writers and illustrators of children’s books, thus contributing to raising the profile of Japanese picture books. Suho no Shiroi Uma (Suho and the White Horse) has been read by many since its publication in 1967.

Chihiro Iwasaki began to study sketching and oil painting at the age of fourteen under Saburosuke Okada, and Japanese calligraphy when she was eighteen, under Shuyo Oda of the Fujiwara Kozei School. In 1956, she created her first picture book, Hitori de Dekiru yo (I Can Do it All by Myself). She won many prizes, among them: Graphic Prize Fiera di Bologna for Kotori no Kuru Hi (The Pretty Bird) in 1971.

Shinta Cho started his career as a cartoonist in 1948. In 1958 he created his first picture book Ganbare Saru no Sarankun (Do Your Best, Saran, the Monkey Boy!). Since then, he created more than 400 books for children over the course of his lifetime and gave birth to a new genre of picture books in Japan called "nonsense pictue books". Kyabetsukun (Cabbage Boy) received the grand prize in Picture Book Nippon Award in 1981.

Yukihiko Tajima was born in Osaka, and spent his childhood in Kochi. He studied dyeing and graphics and uses techniques of dyeing and printing in his picture book illustrations. He has received numerous awards including Golden Plaque at the Biennial of Illustrations Bratislava for Gion Matsuri (Gion Festival), and Tenni nobotta namazu (Painted Catfish was Rising Up to the Heaven). He is also a member of the Japan Print Association.

Shigeo Nishimura was born in Kochi, and during his studies he changed his school to study sketching and watercolor painting at Setsu Mode Seminar. He joined the movement to help the children of Vietnam and in 1974 made his first picture book Kuzunohayama no Kitsune (Fox from Kuzunoha Mountains). He is also the illustrator for E de Miru Nihon no Rekishi (Japanese History in Pictures),and Hiroshima no Genbaku (Hiroshima: A Tragedy Never to Be Repeated). Gatagoto Gatagoto (Chug-chug Train) was awarded the Japanese Picture Book Award in 2000.

Hiroshi Abe worked as a zookeeper in Hokkaido for 25 years. While working at the zoo, his animal picture diaries were serialised in a town magazine which enabled him to make his debut as a picture book creator. After retiring from the zoo, he continued to travel to Africa, the Arctic, and other areas to visit the natural habitats of the animals he had contact with at the zoo, while also continuing to create picture books. He has published more than 140 picture books.

Miho Takeda studied at the Nihon University College of Art and made her debut as a picture-book author in 1987 with Ashita Ensoku (Tomorrow's the Class Outing). She earned widespread recognition for Tonari no Seki no Masudakun (Masuda, Who Sits Next to Me), published in 1991, which won the Kodansha Publication Culture Award and Japan Picture Book Award. In addition to picture books, she designs characters for children's television shows and is active in the field of animation.

THE CABIN COMPANY is an art unit consisting of Kentaro Abe and Saki Yoshioka, and mainly creates picture books. They also have many other paintings and three dimensional works. They formed the unit in 2009. They graduated from the Faculty of Education and Welfare Science, Oita University in 2011. Their solo exhibition titled Dodo Sanka toured five cities in Japan from 2024 to 2025. They are currently working in a former school building as an atelier. Yuyake ni Toketeiku (It Melts Easily) was awarded the Japan Picture Book Award grand prize in 2024.

Kazumi Wilds is a picture book illustrator and a creator of "Artist’s book." Born in Tokyo, she majored in traditional Japanese painting for her bachelor's degree and in Book Art for her master's degree. Her picture books were published in the US, Japan, and Singapore. She is currently teaching art courses at Temple University Japan Campus in Tokyo. She has been a member of SCBWI, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, since 2011 and is currently the Illustrator Coordinator for SCBWI Japan. In 2025, she presented a workshop titled "How to Develop Ideas into Books while Folding an Accordion Book" at the AFCC Conference and also visited schools in Singapore.

Lee Kow Fong, or Ah Guo, graduated with a BA(Hons) in Chinese Studies from National University of Singapore and holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Translation and Interpretation from Nanyang Technological University. He received his MA in Children’s Book Illustration from Cambridge School of Art, Anglia Ruskin University, UK in 2011. Since then, he has been actively involved in the promotion and creation of picture-books in Singapore. Presently, he is pursuing his passion in illustrating, writing and creating picture-books full-time.

Josef Lee tells stories through pictures. As a picture-book author & artist, his illustrated short stories have been shared online since 2008. In 2017, Josef successfully published his first picture-book via crowdfunding. Since then, he has published over 20 picture-books and 1 novel adaptation in Singapore, China, Taiwan, Korea and Thailand. Josef also launched the 'House of Mini Picture Books' in 2021 - a free online library of original picture stories by local authors, to be downloaded / printed / DIY-ed into mini picture books.

J.H. Low is a Singaporean author and illustrator dedicated to the craft of visual storytelling in children’s literature. His work has gained significant international and local recognition, notably with Lemonade Sky being selected for the 2021 White Ravens Catalogue and winning the 2022 Hedwig Anuar Children’s Book Award.

A frequent contributor to the literary community, Low was the 1st runner-up for the 2019 Scholastic Picture Book Award and was shortlisted for the 2024 Singapore Literature Prize (Comics) and Best Cover at the 2022 Singapore Book Awards. His selection for this exhibition highlights his ongoing commitment to cross-cultural artistic exchange.

Besides illustrating children’s books, Khairudin Saharom is an architect by training. Curious and inquisitive from a young age, Khai draws inspiration from the layered qualities of batik and the bold textures of woodcut art. A lifelong doodler, he once sketched everywhere he could - even on the underside of his bed! He loves animals, especially cats, and shares his home with five of them. Through his illustrations, he hopes to draw young readers deeper into the story and invite them into imaginative worlds shaped by curiosity and a quiet sense of wonder.

Kwan Shan Mei, born Wong Fang Yan, was a pioneering illustrator whose works shaped the childhoods of many Singaporeans in the 1970s and 1980s. Kwan's illustrations in the Primary Pilot Project readers made learning engaging, and her beloved The Adventures of Mooty the Mouse continues to charm readers to this day. Beyond textbooks, Kwan illustrated children's books like Moongate Collection of Folktales from the Orient, bringing Asian stories to young readers. She also created large-scale artworks depicting Chinese folklore. Kwan later taught at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts before retiring in Vancouver, and her illustrations continue to inspire new generations of readers.

Priscilla Tey is an illustrator, multimedia artist, author and winner of the 2025 World Illustration Award (Site Specific Category). A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), she works across a variety of media from watercolour, to digital illustration, packaging to large-scale installations. Priscilla has created artwork for various brands and is also internationally known for her books In-Between Things, and Counting in Dog Years (Candlewick Press), which have received praise from The Wall Street Journal and The New York Public Library. Her latest book The Vicious Cycle will be published in October 2026 by Macmillan Publishers (US).

Quek Hong Shin is a Singaporean freelance author and illustrator whose works include picture books like The Amazing Sarong, Universe of Feelings, and Chou Chou. His titles were nominated twice for The Hedwig Anuar Children's Book Award (HABA). Grandma's Tiger, written by Alan John and illustrated by Hong Shin, is on The White Ravens 2023, an international recommendation list of children's literature and the winner of the Hedwig Anuar Children’s Book Award (Picture Book Category) 2024.

Raised on the sunny island of Singapore, Ziyue — pronounced zzz-yuair — also known as Angeline, lives with her husband, Zw, and their two beloved children. Art began as a form of escape from the struggles and confusion of growing up deaf, but it soon became her way of connecting with the world. Through it, she discovered the powerful, unspoken language between artwork and viewer. Her life goal is to create art that resonates emotionally with others. She enjoys visualising stories through illustration, especially through children’s books and illustrations inspired by her own life experiences.

David Liew, an illustrator of children’s books, also crafts miniature worlds. Formerly a junior college teacher, he transitioned to professional illustration. His works include series like Ellie Belly, The Plano Adventures, and Change Makers. Liew instructs Picture Book illustration at the National Institute of Early Childhood Education and teaches art at Republic Polytechnic. He serves as Regional Advisor for the Singapore Chapter of the Society of Children’s Books and Illustrators.

The Chihiro Art Museum is the world’s first art museum devoted to picture books. Established in 1977 to commemorate Chihiro Iwasaki (1918-1974), a Japanese picture book artist renowned for her works of children and flowers, it now has a collection of over 27,900 pieces created by 228 artists from 35 countries worldwide. There are two museums; one in Tokyo and one in Nagano (Azumino), which are run by the Chihiro Iwasaki Memorial Foundation.

Established in 1968, the Singapore Book Council (SBC) has for over 50 years remained committed to developing and promoting a multicultural literary arts sector in Singapore. Their programmes focus on creative writing, translation, storytelling, reading and illustration. Their festivals, awards, workshops and school programmes have reached out to the various language and ethnic communities, boosting creativity, imagination, and empathy. SBC is a nonprofit and charity with IPC status.

The Asian Festival of Children’s Content (AFCC) is the leading festival in Asia focusing on children’s books and stories and young adult (YA) fiction. Targeted at writers, illustrators, translators, publishers, parents, educators and media producers, AFCC offers a series of exciting panel discussions, workshops, lectures, masterclasses, pitching sessions, networking events and public activities promoting the creation and appreciation of quality children’s literature and YA with a focus on Asian themes. The 17th edition of the festival will run from 21–24 May 2026, with the theme The Worlds We Make.

Is this your first time to Japan Creative Centre? Follow the map below to Japan Creative Centre now.

Getting to Japan Creative Centre
4 Nassim Road Singapore 258372
Tel: +65-6737-0434

By Public Bus:
Bus services: 7, 36, 77, 105, 106, 111, 123, 132, 174, 174E, 502, 502A, 502B (Alight in front of Delfi Orchard)
For latest information on bus routes and fares, please refer to SBS Transit.

By the MRT:
You may also take the MRT to the nearest MRT station, Orchard (NS22).
Train fares, travel times and route maps are available on the SMRT website.

Driving to JCC:
Nearest parking is at Orchard Hotel, Delfi Orchard and Orchard Rendezvous Hotel.