Those familiar red and yellow bottles that quietly sit on tables across the globe—they transcend borders and cultures, standing as quiet icons of the everyday. Photographer Tomoko Sawada turned her gaze to these “faces” of daily life, exploring their multiplicity and meaning.

Her work Sign, first unveiled at the Andy Warhol Museum’s 2024 exhibition Factory Direct, transforms the familiar. Using Heinz’s iconic ketchup and mustard bottles as her motif, Sawada reimagines their labels in 56 different languages—each one a reflection of a unique cultural table. The result is 112 photographs, each one offering a subtle, nuanced portrait of how a simple object can embody local identity and global connection.

Now published by SUPER LABO, the complete Sign series is presented in a traditional Japanese “orihon” (accordion-fold) binding, a format that allows the viewer to engage with the work as a continuous visual narrative. Encased in a clear acrylic slipcase, the book itself becomes an art object—both intimate and striking. This special edition is limited to 100 hand-numbered copies, each signed by the artist.

Within these photographs lie language, symbolism, and memory—quiet, yet resonant. With Sign, Sawada offers us a compelling meditation on universality and difference, asking us to consider: what do we share across cultures, and what defines us apart?