Giant Robot Store and GR2 News
Mari Inukai is a friend to Giant Robot much like many other artists. Her work is often depicting her daughter Sena, but not always. Inukai explores popular culture with her own range of characters, which manifested into her own character figure series, Sekaiseifukudan as seen at Giant Robot Store. They’re not toys, but more in line as an artist work. The video below was taken at Comic-Con when Inukai signed figures and charmed new and old fans. [youtube]8b3vpLoUkB0[/youtube] Her next exhibition, In the Wake of Dreams is below and begins tomorrow. It’s a four person show and should promise beautiful art works. Inukai’s daughter, Sena is pictured below, second from the left.
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Wat Misaka will be honored at a Japanese American Gala in Washington DC. In case you haven’t heard of this man… he was the first draft pick in 1947 for the New York Knicks. The game was different back then, but watch the video below. It’s for a documentary about the man and he could play. at 5’7″ and speedy, he’s the prototypical tiny guard that’s still used in the NBA. (Salt Lake Tribune – Wat Misaka) [youtube]Hz50-UunDcY[/youtube] (watmisaka.com)
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Graf-prankster, Bansky. He kickstarted the Flux Capacitor, jumped in the Delorean with Marty and Doc and went back to the Pasadena, March 1945. He then busted out the stencils and paint and made a political statement that’s racist but thought provoking. Poor folks, they didn’t keep the piece, which is now worth multi millions of dollars. The Paulings family were residents in Altadena, CA and merely hired a recently released Japanese American internee (concentration camp), to be a gardener. They were against Executive Order 9066, which basically put JA’s behind barbed wire and were outspoken about it. They made efforts to bring the graffiti perpetrators to justice but had no such support from the police or FBI. Their gardener, George H. Minaki was thought to have gone to war as part of the 442 Battalion, but no one is sure. It is said that the graffiti artists were involved in a high speed chase fleeing the scene, but got away in their silver sedan when lightning struck the local clock tower at precisely 10:04pm. (Patch - Paulings)
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It’s always an honor when an article I write is good enough to get to the Discover Nikkei site. The 99 Years No Ai piece (no pirate pun here) made it. It’s been merely a three year drought. Discover Nikkei is via the Japanese American National Museum. Yes, I’ve worked on Two Biennale exhibitions, the Zen Garage, and other projects, so nepotism doesn’t work there, so I’m hoping I did a decent job with it.
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The biggest thing this average-sized girl from USC wants and hopes for is a place on the WNBA Los Angeles Sparks roster. Her name is Jamie Hagiya; and if you followed American women’s college basketball a few years back, you know that this Japanese-American former point guard for USC has formidable basketball skills. And with these skill she helped the lady Trojans win three consecutive Ocean League titles, established USC records in three-point goals and assists, and helped get her team to the NCAA tournament twice. Now, after graduating college and playing for a professional women’s basketball team in Greece for a couple of years, Hagiya is back in L.A. and has her sights set on the WNBA’s Sparks. Her plan is simple and sensible: Attend the Sparks’ open try-outs next year, perform brilliantly, and earn a place on the team. What she has going for her are her top-notch roundball skills, and the considerable moral support of the Japanese-American community in L.A.What’s going against her, however, is her size. For real life, her 5-foot-4-inch frame is perfect. For WNBA basketball, it isn’t exactly ideal. In fact, her height was the primary reason the WNBA didn’t recruit Hagiya after she graduated USC. Still, no one denies that Hagiya has mad skills and a determined heart. And until the Sparks’ open try-outs next year, she continues to organize and host basketball camps for kids, passing on her love of the game and the skills she developed playing it. We will keep following her story and rooting for her to become only the second Japanese-American to play in the WNBA. Small woman, huge dreams. And that’s as American as it gets. (Rafu Shimpo – Sparks Are in Jamie Hagiya’s Eyes)
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