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My Reality: Contemporary Art and the Culture of Japanese Animation
4/12/2003 - 6/15/2003
An international exhibition of 31 works by 18 artists from South
Korea, Japan, the Netherlands, Greece, Great Britain, and the United
States investigates the influence of Japanese animation (animé) on
the art of today. Just as American comic books became popular among
Japanese youth after World War II, in the past two decades Japanese
animé figures such as DOB and Hello Kitty have achieved almost cult
status. The exhibition features the fantastic sci-fi creatures,
cyborgs, robots, and karaoke work of important contemporary artists
such as Takashi Murakami, Mika Kato, Paul McCarthy, and Miltos
Manetas working in photography, painting, sculpture, and video. This
exhibition originated at the Des Moines Art Center, curated by Jeff
Fleming, senior curator, and Susan Lubowsky Talbott, director. The
traveling exhibition is organized and circulated by Independent
Curators International (ICI), New York. The Mondriaan Foundation,
Amsterdam, and the Consulate General of the Netherlands in New York
provided additional funding for the traveling exhibition. Local
presentation has been generously sponsored by the Neuberger Berman
Foundation. Locally sponsored in part by the State of Florida,
Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida
Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
West Palm Beach, FL - My Reality: Contemporary Art and the Culture
of Japanese Animation, an exhibition that investigates the impact of
Japanese animation, commonly called anime, on contemporary art in
Asian countries and in the West opens at the Norton Museum of Art on
April 12 and runs through June 15, 2003. My Reality presents some 30
works by 18 artists from the East and the West revealing their
influence on each other through their shared interest in anime.
Admission to the exhibition costs $10 for adults and includes entry
to the Museum's permanent collections. For tickets call
1-866-468-7630 or visit www.norton.org.
My Reality presents the work of Japanese artists Taro Chiezo, Mariko
Mori, Mr. (Masakatu Iwamoto), Takashi Murakami, Yoshitomo Nara,
Momoyo Torimitsu, and Kenji Yanobe, and the Korean artist Lee Bul.
These artists merge their primary influences, including Andy Warhol,
Disney and Jeff Koons, with traditional art forms, such as Japanese
wood block printing. The Western artists in the exhibition,
including Matthew Benedict, James Esber, Micha Klein, Paul McCarthy,
Richard Patterson, Tom Sachs, and Charlie White, share similar
concerns and influences with their Asian counterparts. As a whole,
the work in the show explores the myriad thematic and visual
conventions found in anime. These include concepts such as
futuristic technology, Cyborgs, fantastical creatures, and
post-apocalyptic landscapes, as well as more universal themes, such
as gender roles, consumerism, and pop culture.
Dr. Roger Ward, Chairman, Curatorial Department comments, "We intend
for My Reality to attract attention from younger visitors who are
familiar with popular images of anime through television as well as
visitors interested in the influence of anime on Western, and Asian
art."
Initially organized by the Des Moines Art Center, My Reality is co-curated
by Jeff Fleming, senior curator and Susan Lubowsky Talbott,
director. The traveling tour is organized by Independent Curators
International, NY a non-profit organization dedicated to
contemporary art.
The contemporary Japanese popular culture manifested in anime, comic
books (manga), music, geek culture (otaku), the club scene,
advertising and fashion presents a unique approach to modern life.
It is a survival strategy, finding authoritative voice in social
critique and reflection. Yet many of its sources lie in forms of
Western entertainment, such as the animated films produced by Disney
and Warner Brothers, and it embodies a sense of playfulness. In
fact, play and fantasy echo throughout Japanese youth culture, which
has embraced them as a manifesto and exported them to the world.
This exhibition explores the notion of the invented communal or
personal reality that functions as an avenue of escape from
contemporary social circumstances. For both the Eastern and the
Western artists participating in the exhibition, escape derives from
this reverie, whether through an atomic car designed to survive a
nuclear holocaust or a more encompassing retreat into history,
tradition, or popular culture.
Admission to the exhibition costs $10 for adults and includes entry
to the Museum's permanent collections. For tickets call
1-866-468-7630
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The Norton Museum
of Art is a major cultural attraction in Florida.
The Museum is internationally known for its distinguished permanent
collection featuring
19th and 20th century European and American art, Chinese, contemporary art and photography.
From its founding the Norton has been famous for its masterpieces
of 19th century and 20th century painting
and sculpture by European artists such as Brancusi, Gauguin, Matisse,
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Pollock and Sheeler.
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