Monazite (Aizome)
2016
Acrylic and acrylic transfer on linen
39.5" W x 39.5" H x 1" D
series: japanese minerals
about the series
The Japanese segment of the “Minerals” series is an offshoot of the earlier American Minerals work.
“Minerals” are a mash-up of pop culture, sociology, scientific data and the raw beauty of stones. These large acrylic paintings show crystal shapes against the backdrop of scientific mineral data that has been reinterpreted as scales of human traits. Each mineral property (hard, dense, lustrous, etc.) is represented by a famous face plucked from the spectrum of contemporary Japanese cultural references. The faces used in these works come from extensive cultural research and polling undertaken while in residence at Tokyo Arts and Space (formerly Tokyo Wonder Site) in 2015.
The series was originally developed using faces that are famous in America, proving that – regardless of culture – a cliché, a stereotype or a façade always hides something more complex.
The Mineralogical Scales (Japanese Interpretation):
High Hardness: Ken Takakura, Japanese mafia (“yakuza”) film star
Low Hardness: Funassyi, cuddly pear mascot of the city of Funabashi
High Color: Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, Harajuku style icon
Low Color: Kaonashi, faceless spirit from the Miyazaki film “Spirited Away”
High Streak (true color): Black Jack, good Samaritan with a scary face from the manga series by Osamu Tezuka
Low Streak (true color): Mamoru Samuragochi, the fraudulent “Japanese Beethoven” who feigned deafness
High Transparency: Haruka Ayase, actress who is famous for her flawlessly pale complexion
Low Transparency: Danté Carver, American actor well known as Softbank’s “Yosō Guy”
High Luster: Sachiko Kobayashi, “Queen of Enka”, famous for elaborately lit-up costumes
Low Luster: kuroko, stagehand dressed in black so as to seem invisible
High Cleavage (splits cleanly): Shinzō Abe, Prime Minister whose policies sharply divide Japanese public opinion
Low Cleavage (doesn’t split): Ieyasu Tokugawa, Shōgun who unified Japan
High Habit/Form (shape): Shinichi Shinohara, champion Judoka who stands tall at 190cm
Low Habit/Form (shape): Takashi Okamura, comedian known for his diminutive stature
High Density: Matsuko Deluxe, corpulent TV personality
Low Density: Ittan Momen, an evil yokai that takes the form of a flying sheet of fabric
High Symmetry: The Touch, comedy duo comprised of identical twin brothers
Low Symmetry: Takeshi Kitano, celebrated filmmaker with partial facial paralysis
High Radioactivity: Genpatsu-kun, animated character by Kazuhiko Hachiya that appeared on Japanese television on March 15, 2011
Low Radioactivity: Katsushika Hokusai, famed ukiyo-e artist who used Prussian Blue pigment, an antidote to radiation poisoning