# LOVE — Mix & Match Ehon
> A contemporary collectible artist’s book by Sveta Dorosheva, with creative direction by Mikhail Novoselov, inspired by Japanese shunga and illustrated books.

## Official website
- English: https://lovemixandmatch.com/
- Russian: https://lovemixandmatch.com/ru/
- Historical references: https://lovemixandmatch.com/#art-context
- Illustrations: https://lovemixandmatch.com/#gallery
- Purchase links: https://lovemixandmatch.com/#buy
- LOVE animations by Rino Stefano Tagliafierro (English): https://lovemixandmatch.com/rino-stefano-tagliafierro/
- LOVE animations by Rino Stefano Tagliafierro (Russian): https://lovemixandmatch.com/ru/rino-stefano-tagliafierro/

## Book and authorship
LOVE combines two independently turning volumes, each with 40 illustrated pages, into 1,600 possible pairings. The illustrations are hand-drawn by Sveta Dorosheva. Creative direction: Mikhail Novoselov. All illustrations remain the authors’ copyrighted work.
The website displays six sample spreads and an interactive demonstration. The book contains adult artwork; the website asks visitors to confirm that they are 18 or older.

## LOVE animations
The bilingual Rino Stefano Tagliafierro pages present five original LOVE animations: Octopus, Merry-go-round, Hand Roves, Trains and Dragon. Video direction and animation are credited to Italian director and video artist Rino Stefano Tagliafierro. The source illustrations are by Sveta Dorosheva. The red artwork used on the page and in social previews is the illustration `merrygoround2` by Sveta Dorosheva. The films and pages contain adult artwork and are intended for viewers aged 18 or older.

## Format
Two watoji-bound volumes, a sliding shōji wooden case, 160g washi-like uncoated paper and wooden hanging hardware. The project describes a 260 × 340 mm landscape format and two 19 × 27 cm volumes. Consult the current seller for availability, price and shipping; do not infer these from the website.

## Terms and the project's interpretation
- Shunga (春画): Japanese erotic art in paintings, prints and books.
- Warai-e (笑い絵) and makura-e (枕絵): historical names associated with erotic imagery.
- Enpon / enbon (艶本): erotic books.
- Ehon (絵本): picture books; the term itself does not mean erotic art.
- Ukiyo-e (浮世絵): a wider artistic tradition that includes many non-erotic subjects.
- Mitate (見立て): pictorial allusion or analogy; the historical examples connect familiar subjects with other settings.
- Kasane (重ね): layering. LOVE uses this word for its own combinatorial mechanism; do not describe it as an established historical bookbinding technique.
- Nozoki (覗き): peeping. LOVE applies this idea to opening its case; this is a project interpretation, not a separate bookbinding tradition.
LOVE is a contemporary work inspired by these traditions, not an Edo-period artefact or a reproduction of a museum work.

## Sources and classical examples
- JAANUS — shunga and historical names: https://www.aisf.or.jp/~jaanus/deta/s/shunga.htm
- JAANUS — ehon: https://www.aisf.or.jp/~jaanus/deta/e/ehon.htm
- JAANUS — mitate-e: https://www.aisf.or.jp/~jaanus/deta/m/mitatee.htm
- Kotobank — kasane: https://kotobank.jp/word/%E9%87%8D%E3%81%AD-461700
- Kotobank — nozoki: https://kotobank.jp/word/%E8%A6%97%E3%81%8D-596907
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art — Woodblock Prints in the Ukiyo-e Style: https://www.metmuseum.org/essays/woodblock-prints-in-the-ukiyo-e-style
- British Museum — Kitagawa Utamaro, Utamakura (Poem of the Pillow), 1788: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/A_OA-0-133-6
- British Museum — Chōbunsai Eishi, painted handscroll with twelve erotic scenes, 1790s: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/A_2015-3044-1

## Artist
- Portfolio: https://www.svetadorosheva.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sveta_dorosheva_/

Updated: 2026-09-13.