You may not come across Kanae Sato’s dogs in your next walk in the park, but you will probably recognize their deadpan expressions and existential poise: isn’t life beautifully absurd?

Award-winning Japanese illustrator Kanae Sato was born in the Aichi prefecture in 1974 and currently lives in Tokyo. Her combination of deceptively simple compositions and subtle yet sardonic humour is reminiscent of the golden age of children’s and commercial Japanese illustration, and nods back to iconic figures such as Taro Gomi and Ryohei Yanagihara.

Her illustrations have crossed over the border from the commercial sphere (they have been used in ads, packaging, websites, posters, etc.) to editorial projects such as children’s books and exhibitions. In this new series, Kanae Sato X Magma, you will find ludicrously charming mugs and surreal cards which introduce her delicate balance of colours and shapes to the European public for the first time.