eronrauch

These four pieces are from a project loosely called "Jenny's Archive" which are small-ish works, around 12" x 20" that are collages/decollages of the fold-out posters in japanese-language anime magazines such as Animage, Newtype, and Megami.















These four are examples from what will eventually be a project that uses every single fold-out-poster from the archive of old anime magazines that were gifted to by Jenny [who often gives me curious media to turn into art] so she didn't have to move them.

Currently, these works consist of layers of fractured/torn posters, both collaged and picked back out, that reveal multiple layers of similar anime genre pin-up images. My organization process is based on the conventions of these posters. That is, one woman in the middle of the [vertical] poster. Two women posing together [horizontal]. Three women from the knees up. Etc. You may notice I said "women" - in two full boxes, there were enough posters with males in them to form a grand total of one, yet-un-produced, image...

The idea was born partially be a critique I had of the increasingly symbolic & mythological nature of Takeshi Murakami's recent larger [ever-larger] paintings. While I'm not opposed to some psuedo-mythological themes, I feel as though the works have started to be so grandiose and self-referential that they have almost ceased any critical dialog with the materiality/object-ness of otaku culture. That is, that I'm fascinated about how while we "read into" the symbols, the images and icons that make up the fetishes of otaku culture are transmitted though ephemeral, often junky, objects as well. These works are partially an attempt to emphasize what I've known and observed asthe tangible/physical nature of otaku culture, not just the textual nature of the subcultural symbols. It's a weird concrete poetry made of VHS tapes and flimsy, glossy paper, and push pins.

A few more images from my anime documentary project while I tinker with a couple of new-ish projects in mind I might start posting to get some feedback on. Also, there is a chance that I might be having an online exhibit of my World of Warcraft images in a virtual gallery in Second Life. More info coming as I learn about it.



"Initial D (Fanime 2005)"



"Room Party (Animagic 2005)"



"Check-out (Anime Expo 2007)"



"Main Programing (Animagic 2004)"

I'm about to step into WoW for a bit to meet up with my friends from Illinois (we play for a couple hours on Sunday as a way to keep in touch) but I wanted to add a few more photographs from my anime convention project for everyone to ponder. As I get more of these images posted, I'd love to hear thoughts on how the images are interacting, or if you have thoughts about what additional images might flesh out this portrait of otaku-life more fully.



"Front Entrance (Anime Expo 2007)"



"Capsule Hentai (Fanime 2005)"



"Three (Anizona 2004)"

I'm not really sure how many of these posts I'm planning on making, but hopefully there will be enough new images (since there are about 100+ rolls of images that few people have seen aside from the lecture) that it will continue to be interesting. With around 300 rolls of film, with 36 frames on each, I'm still finding new images with each flip through the proofs...


"Vending Machines (Animagic 2006)"



"Long Beach Moon (Anime Expo 2007)"


"Dealer's hall, Airbrusher (Anime Expo 2007)"


"Legs, Drinking (Anime Central 2003)"

So, my Dad has been visiting from Chicago [both to get away from the record setting snow this season and to see my show up in Los Angeles]. A while back I had given an artist lecture at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design on my photo-documentary of anime conventions. It's a really personal project in so many ways, since it weaves my own autobiographical frenzied relationship, and subsequent alienation, to the American anime scene with an burgeoning interest in pushing the boundaries of photography. It's a project that makes me sad, not in a bad way, but in a good way, because of it's combination of ruthlessness and lyricalness, intimate and crowd.

So anyway, my dad wanted to see the images that I had used for the lecture. After showing them I wasn't really sure what to say. I have been working on other projects primarily since the lecture (owing to getting burned out). But something about being in that liminal space between the foggy, ponderous, chill of winter and the humid lucidity of spring always triggers a bit of chagrined nostalgia for my otaku days. But rather than ramble further, I thought I show a few images over the next week:



"Slap (Anime Central 2003)"



"Executive Wing, 2AM (Anime Central 2005)"



"Autograph Table (Anime Expo 2006)"