Q Could you share a little about yourself?
51 Personae is a self-sustaining independent art publishing project, believing that publishing is both an urgent and valid artistic practice. It places special emphasis on life experiences in Asia and the Third World, as well as marginalized voices under suppression, exploring the contemporary forms, possibilities and potential of “realism” in art as expressive actions.

Q Please tell us about your booth plans for Pages | Fukuoka Art Book Fair 2025.
At this year’s Fukuoka Art Book Fair, 51 Personae’s booth will feature our latest publications, including a newly translated Chinese version of a work by Japanese scholar Mr. Kenichi Takenaka. This book focuses on the oral history of the generation from Dalian who received colonial education. The interviews were conducted in the 1990s when these individuals, who had attended Japanese schools, were already in their seventies or older. These oral histories are not only a vivid first-hand record of colonial education but also a tribute to that generation of Japanese intellectuals, like Mr. Takenaka. Although this book is in Chinese, we will be bringing it to Fukuoka.

Q Please tell us about a place in Fukuoka that you recommend or would love to visit.
Fukuoka Asian Art Museum
It is the only museum in Asia that focuses on modern and contemporary arts in Asia and as a project that also focus on Asia (51 Personae), it would be great to pay a visit!

Q What inspired you to start publishing? And what motivates you to continue?
Although the book as a medium has a long history, it currently shows a unique texture and vitality. A book is a mobile exhibition, an independent form of expression that can walk freely outside the existing art system, unbound and unregulated by institutional structures. In a time when capital and power have deeply penetrated the art system, the book, as a medium of artistic expression, is not only an art form but also a means of archiving history and reality, preserving the destinies of those in the minority.

Q Message for visitors.
We hope that readers will eagerly flip through books in languages other than Japanese and share their thoughts with us! We are eager to hear more feedback from Japanese readers and to understand the significance and possibilities of “foreign” independent publishing for them.