THE W3ST | Your Daily Fashion, Music & Lifestyle News

GRART_Electronic6-2-742317
In 1994, Giant Robot was born with the purpose of documenting and promoting new, up-and-coming, underdog, overlooked, and hybrid Asian and Asian-American popular culture. Fifteen years later, the self-published magazine has not only evolved from a stapled-and-folded zine into a full-color, glossy publication with an international following, but also opened trend-setting shops and influential art galleries in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York City. To celebrate the magazine’s longevity, energy, and loyal readership, the second Giant Robot Biennale is being hosted by the Japanese American National Museum in Downtown Los Angeles from October 24, 2009 to January 24, 2010. The event will feature several exhibits, including the following:

To provide a visual overview of the Giant Robot aesthetic, publisher Eric Nakamura is curating artwork by individuals who have contributed to shows at Giant Robot’s galleries, been featured in the pages of the magazine, or even contributed cover art. The main hall will include installations by

David Choe
Theo Ellsworth
James Jean
kozyndan
Stella Lai
Jack Long
Albert Reyes
Souther Salazar
Rob Sato
Jeff Soto
Deth P. Sun

A second hall will include the contributions of more than 50 others.

Here’s that list:

Aaron Brown
Aiyana Udesen
Ako Castuera
Allison Cole
Andrew Holder
Andrew Jeffrey Wright
Andrice Arp
Ana Serrano
Apak
Ben King
Bigfoot
Brian Rush
Bwana Spoons
Christine Castro
Christopher Bettig
Dan-ah Kim
Daria Tessler
Ed Trask
Edwin Ushiro
Eleanor Davis
Emilio Santoyo
Esther Pearl Watson
Hannah Stouffer
Hellen Jo
James Kochalka
Jay Ryan
Jeffrey Brown
Jen Corace
Jeremy Tinder
Joe To
Jon Burgerman
Kaori Kasai
Katherine Guillen
Kelly Lynn Jones
Kerry Horvath
Luke Chueh
Marci Washington
Mari Inukai
Mark Todd
Matt Furie
Megan Whitmarsh
Mike Perry
Munkao
Nikki McClure
PCP
Phil Lumbang
Prodip Leung
Rama Hughes
Renee French
Robert Bellm
Scrappers
Sidney Pink
Steven Weissman
Yellena James

The photography of longtime magazine contributor Ben Clark will also be featured in a retrospective. Clark’s powerful images from past issues will be displayed in a larger, more vibrant print format, accompanied by recollections, explanations, and other ramblings by editor Martin Wong.

The roots of Asian popular culture–the kaiju scene introduced by Godzilla, Gamera, other giant monsters, and the toy industry they spawned–will be paid tribute to by a run of collaborative works made by Japanese indie sculptor and artist Yukinori Dehara, UglyDolls co-creator David Horvath, and Portland, OR-based underground toy legend LeMerde.

In addition, five custom videogames have been developed by the Attract Mode collective in conjunction with some of Giant Robot’s favorite artists. Many games were made exclusively for the Game Over/Continue? show at GRSF (March-April, 2009), and they be available for play once more throughout the exhibition’s stint. The artist and developer pairings include Hellen Jo, Calvin Wong, and Derek Yu; Saelee Oh and Anna Anthropy; Souther Salazar and Petri Purho; J. Otto Seibold and Kyle Pulver; and Deth P. Sun and Jonathan “Cactus” Soderstrom.

An opening reception will take place from 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 24, featuring live music and attendance by many of the participating artists and key members of the Giant Robot family.

The show will run from Saturday, October 24, 2009 to Sunday, January 24, 2010.

GIANT BIENNALE 2: 15 YEARS

45 Responses Subscribe to comments

Reply