Rare Specimen No. 1
Kenji Aoki

 rare
• adjective (rarer, rarest) 1 occurring very infrequently. 2 remarkable: a player of rare skill.
   -- ORIGIN Latin rarus.

specimen
• noun 1 an individual animal, plant, object, etc. used as an example of its species or type for scientific study or display

For the first in our inspiring series of "Rare Specimen" entries we exhibit an artist named Kenji Aoki. I almost hate to uncover this remarkable species as he is truly "rare," but I think it's important to share great talent with the rest of the world.

Kenji lives and works in Japan. It's always interesting to hear him speak about his ideas in his native tongue. Though we speak to him through a translator there is never any problem with communication as he consistently comes up with clever and fresh solutions for the same old beauty story articles (see below):

... and here...

...and his powerful, visually intoxicating photographs were perfect for our reinvented cocktails. This is a sneak preview, see the rest in the February 2010 issue of More:


At the top of the page, he has created a symbol for the 45th Annual SPD Competition and Gala. I think you will agree it is a great mark for us and a fine specimen of photographic genius. Examine more of Kenji's work at Michael Ash Partners.