Giant Robot Store and GR2 News
At the end of May, just weeks before his photo exhibition was scheduled to open, Ahn Sehong got a letter from his sponsor telling him that the show was cancelled. The sponsor was Nikon, the venue was their gallery in Shinjuku, and the subject of the exhibition was the documentation of the lives of surviving Korean “Comfort Women”. Now, according to KBS World, a Japanese court has ruled that the show must go on, despite protests from right-wing, nationalist conservatives who wanted the show put to a stop. I’m sure it won’t be the end of the protests, but there’s some justice for Ahn and his life’s work. You can read some of his own words about the women he photographed and why their stories matter here.
Continue reading
Paul Kitagaki Jr, photographer unearthed some Dorothea Lange photos from the Internment experience and coupled them with some more recent photos and stories that are now hanging at the San Bruno Bart station which is where Tanforan Race Track, an assembly center for Japanese American was located and 70 years ago. A great concept, history, and the station will probably get more visitors than a gallery show. Take a look at the photos and read the stories. They never get old. SF Gate.
Continue reading
Way back in 2009, I interviewed my friend and fine artist Gina Osterloh for Giant Robot 59. Her carefully constructed large-format photography combines everyday props (office paper, streamers, cardboard…) with carefully thought-out light, perspective, and often herself to play with the viewer’s eye and subconscious. The concept is high but the effect of her imagery is primal, triggering reactions that range from wonder to fear to confusion. Her newest project, Group Dynamics and Improper Light, will open next summer at LACE (Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions) and examine the process. To pull it off, she’ll need some help and that’s where this blog comes in.
A little about the 442nd Japanese American battalion. The KCET article is basically introducing the work of Art Center photography student Michelle Kunz. If you go to Michelle’s site you’ll see the project. (Michelle Kunz – Go For Broke). This modern photography approach works well, and of all people who get photographed, artists, cute girls, etc, it’s the living 442nd who deserves it as much.
Continue reading