SugiPOP at the Portsmouth Museum of Art

 Here is my contribution to this gigantic exhibition at the Portsmouth Museum of Art. It's an honor to show alongside Takashi Murakami and Hokusai. In fact, it's kind of a surreal experience. Especially because I am just a guy that draws doodles in a corner of his room and then to see it up in a museum is quite an experience. To top it off, my painting will hang alongside my friends, Andrew Hem, Gary Baseman and Yoskay Yamamoto. Want to learn more about this exhibit?

PORTSMOUTH, NH – ‘SugiPOP!: The Influence of Anime and Manga on Contemporary Art’ opens on October 13th at the Portsmouth Museum of Art. The show is a collaborative effort, co-curated by Beau Basse of LeBasse Projects in Los Angeles and Katherine Doyle of the Portsmouth Museum of Art. It features the work of approximately 30 artists tracing the originations of manga, the rise of Japanese Contemporary Art and into how the art forms have influenced artists around the world.

Sugi, the Japanese word for ‘too much,’ represents the extreme characteristics of Japanese manga and anime, which have merged with the American phenomenon of Pop, to become SugiPOP - a blend of Japanese and American contemporary art shaped and defined by over-the-top pop.

The exhibition features an international roster of artists including Japanese masters Hokusai and Kuniyoshi in a display of original Edo period woodblock prints. The exhibit also features Japanese Contemporary artists Takashi Murakami, Yoshitomo Nara, Yoshitaka  International artists contributing to the exhibit include KAWS, Gary Baseman, Simone Legno, Natalia Fabia, Tomokazu Matsuyama, Yumiko Kayukawa, Seonna Hong, Hush, Morgan Slade, Edwin Ushiro, Luke Chueh, Andrew Hem, Mike Shinoda, Yoskay Yamamoto and more. Finally the exhibition includes original cels from some of the most significant anime films ever made, including Cowboy Bebop and Princess Mononoke.  Amano, Mr., Ai Yamaguchi, Junko Mizuno and Hisashi Tenmyouya. 

SugiPOP! Opens on October 13, 2010 and runs through January 16, 2011, with an Opening Reception on October 14th from 5:30 to 7:30 . The Portsmouth Museum of Art is located at One Harbour Place in downtown Portsmouth.  Admission is free. Hours of operation for the Portsmouth Museum of Art are Wednesday-Sunday, 11:00-5:00, Fridays until 8:00; it is closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Guided group tours are available by appointment by contacting the museum at 603-436-0332 or by email at info@portsmouthmfa.org.