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Digital Artist Chiho Aoshima’s Adorable Apocalypse
Digital artist Chiho Aoshima creates dreamy dystopias in a new SAM exhibit
This article originally appeared in the August 2015 issue of Seattle magazine.
The environmental apocalypse is coming—but at least it’s awash in Technicolor. In the new show at the SAM Asian Art Museum, Chiho Aoshima: Rebirth of the World, the Japanese pop artist shares her vision of the future, where skyscrapers have minds (and bodies) of their own, red-eyed ghost girls drift along washed-out beaches, and puffy clouds have ominous linings.
Aoshima first gained acclaim in 2001 as a participant in Takashi Murakami’s iconic Superflat exhibit, which showcased the postmodern art movement based in anime, manga, kawaii and consumer culture. To create her vast digital landscapes, Aoshima uses Adobe Illustrator, meticulously shaping elements to achieve the organic curves necessary for her pageant of impish animals and radioactive flora.
The most stunning representation of her work on display is “Takaamanohara,” a huge, animated video-mural that is making its debut. It brings alive an imagined reality in which the human relationship with nature has taken a turn for the psychedelic. Through 10/4. Times and prices vary. SAM Asian Art Museum, 1400 E Prospect St.; 206.654.3100; seattleartmuseum.org
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SENSORIUM Takes on Our Screen Addiction
Dance, drag, and immersive art collide in an eight-week exploration of our phone-obsessed lives, with a few surprises along the way.
What do drag queens, smartphone addiction, art installations, and an old luggage shop have in common? According to longtime Seattle choreographer Alana O’Farrell Rogers, a lot. “There’s no dead time anymore,” says Rogers, explaining how the proliferation of smartphones fills the empty spaces that once served as time for rest or connection. Where we snuggled…
Salt-N-Pepa on Breaking Barriers and Staying Power
Ahead of their performance at Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture gala, the hip-hop pioneers talk about creative ownership, connecting with new generations, and the songs that still resonate.
The Museum of Pop Culture (MOPOP) will host its annual ICONS of Pop Culture Gala in Seattle on October 22, honoring five artists and institutions whose work has helped shape entertainment and culture. This year’s honorees are martial arts and film legend Bruce Lee, fashion designer Jeremy Scott, the video game franchise Halo, hip-hop pioneers…
Studio Sessions: Christopher Paul Jordan
Drawing on childhood memories, neighborhood history, and salvaged materials, Christopher Paul Jordan’s latest show at Cornish’s Behnke Family Gallery explores how the past stays with us.
Start in the middle. It’s good advice for telling a story, and a way into Christopher Paul Jordan’s paintings. By the time you encounter them, their materials have already been something else, and who knows what they might move on to become. The Tacoma interdisciplinary artist works with salvaged objects, including screens, picture frames, canvas,…
Rearview Mirror: Wedding Bells, A Furniture Launch, and the Symphony’s New Look
Things I did, saw, ate, learned, or read in the past week (or so).
WEDDING BELLS I’ve been a bit absent from this column lately, but I think I have a pretty good excuse: I got married! It’s already been three weeks since my September 19 wedding, but I’m still reflecting on the magic of the day. My fiancé, well husband now (I can’t get used to saying it!),…