Manga Month at the British Museum

Being a fan of Japanese comics or manga is different from being a fan of movies or an avid book reader. It can be isolating. There is a language barrier, a cultural barrier - even reading the books involves reading from right to left, undoing your Western reading habits. But despite this difficulty, or maybe even because of it, the manga fan community thrives all over the world.

Cosplay Parade at British Museum

The Sainsbury Institute recently sponsored an enormous exhibition of manga - its history and unique visual language - at the British Museum.

As part of a cultural exchange with the Embassy of Japan in London, they invited artists to showcase their original works and discuss their ideas and inspirations.

A reinterpretation of the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland guides visitors through the exhibition, explaining the visual shortcuts that manga uses such as sweat drops, exaggerated facial expressions and dust puffs. The Rabbit was created for the exhibition by artist Kouno Fumiyo, famous for her gorgeous post-Hiroshima story Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms.

We looked at the history of manga: scrolls by Japanese masters, the graphic ancestors of Japanese comics, and satirical cartoons in Tokyo Punch magazine drawn by Kitazawa Rakuten. The word manga was first used by Hokusai in his sketches of everyday life, but Rakuten was the one who brought the art form into modern use.

The medium is divided into specific genres depending on audience: comics for girls or boys, slice-of-life or detective stories, comedy, horror or sports. I loved action or historical stories but my favourite was always girls' manga - I loved how the artists would translate emotions visually in order to sweep the reader into the story.

Manga is not just about readership but community. Out of Japan the manga fan community is estranged from the mainstream, but somehow readers find each other. Fan conventions are fairly common in the US and Asia, but not so much in London - so it was a treat to be able to see a cosplay parade in the hallowed Great Court of the British Museum!

When events like this happen it's like taking off a work jacket and hanging it on a hook in a favourite bar. There is a striking feeling of familiarity, of letting go of polite everyday habits when meeting old friends. No need to explain or feel judged - this is the culture that nurtured our young artistic ambitions, and it has been welcoming new readers for hundreds of years.