He works exclusively with real human hair, but his final products often look nothing like their original material. Kono is inspired by the most fantastic creatures this planet has to offer; his wigs make as much sense photographed upon a person’s head as they do a beachside boulder. Kono is a favourite collaborator of Björk, his works is the perfect complement to her avant-garde fashion and boundary pushing music.

Since the last time we caught up with Tomihiro Kono the artist has released a series of books, and has pushed his craft further than ever. Fancy Creatures brings human expression to the limits, “this time Tomihiro's avant-garde vision has upgraded humans to a whole new level of hybrids which we call Fancy Creatures - imaginary hybrid creatures inspired by various organisms on the Earth, ranging from deep sea creatures and furry moss, to endangered moths.” The fantastic, otherworldly, and imagined converge in a dazzling array of new work by the artist.

His work has appeared in museum collections as well as the runway. At its heart, Kono’s wigs bring a fine art mode to a genre that has so often gone overlooked as a mere accessory. When his pieces appear, they are often the star of the show. Instead of merely covering the hair, Kono’s wigs are often also engaged as masks. In our interview, Tomihiro Kono describes his hope that his work can help a person express their identity and allow others to see them as they see themselves. Kono’s new book will be launching at East East Tokyo, 2023, where his work will be accompanied by a slate of exciting artists and programming. The event opens February 17 and will run until February 19, so make sure to stop by if you find yourself in Tokyo then.