French street artist Zevs melts your Louie, your Levis, your McD and your hammer and sickle. The focus of his first solo show in Tokyo explores the brands’ power to bombard you with desire from billboards, screens and public spaces. It’s not about attacking consumerism, but it does leave consumerist iconography bleeding with red dribbles and leaking in rainbow streaks. Zevs, Sep 2 – Sep 23, Art Statements, Tokyo
In a his new series Tokyo Compression, photographer Michael Wolf captures faces packed behind a precipitating metro-windows, canned together in commute like jarred people preserves, smearing their sleeping faces on sweaty glass. Some are smooshed. Some glow like foggy icons. Like this one – isn’t she just a Madonna of Perpetual Work Ethic?
The same person who shot that stunning time-lapse footage of a giant Gundman statue, gave the same sort of cinematic treatment to a Hello Kitty light show off of Tokyo’s Odaiba Beach, creating this kinetic masterpiece. The display was part of a tree planting campaign. |Pink Tentacle|
Alexander James’ ‘Taxi’ Series
In Tokyo, cab companies have their own unique roof signs to identify them and photographer Alexander James has been documenting the various iterations for his ‘Taxi’ series. Check out the full collection on Distil Ennui Studio’s website.
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- “Mushroom” by Sashie Masakatsu
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- “Moon” by Sashi Masakatsu
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- “Monster” by Sashie Masakatsu
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- “Scrap” by Sashie Masakatsu
Mixing fantasy and reality, artist Sashi Masakatus paints urban outposts floating through deserted, desolated post-apocalyptic landscapes. Most often taking spherical shapes, these structures are composed of contemporary Japanese architecture imbued with a bit of sci-fi whimsy. But without any apparent explanation for their presence, viewers are forced to project their own anxieties into the works, on view at Masakatus’ latest exhibition, “De Facto Standard,” in Tokyo’s Mizuma Art Gallery.
“De Facto Standard,” November 28 – December 26, Mizuma Art Gallery, Tokyo
In commemoration of its 30th anniversary of animated series “Mobile Suite Gundam”, Bandai has constructed a full-scale 60-foot Gundam RX-78-2 robot in Japan. The 35-ton robot was unveiled late last week in Odaiba’s Shiokaze Park where it stands menacingly over the city. Fortunately for the easily frightened, only the head of moves freely on the light covered, steam-spouting statute, making for an impressive nighttime spectacle. After the jump, more photos of the colossal construction which is going on a worldwide tour after it’s two-month invasion of Tokyo. Read more »
It’s always NYC that is destroyed by aliens, man, or nature so these photoshopped images of a post-apocalyptic Tokyo are a welcome sight. |PinkTentacle|
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