Apr 27, 2009 - 2:52 AM
A homage to the spirit of Ukiyo-e, Seattle-based Jonathan Wakuda Fischer incorporates traditional Japanese woodblock prints, urban stencil art, and a variety of vibrant colors in his latest collection, “Deconstructing the Floating World” presented at Lower Hater Gallery.
In his artist statement, he writes, “My art contains duality on several levels: between East and West, past and (near) present, and the very style of the art and the technique used to create it. Our culture does not place much value on what has become obsolete, but there is much to learn from what has come before and the possibility to reclaim some things that has been lost. By connecting different stylistic elements of the past with a modern technique, I hope to create dynamic art that is transcendent of any particular time or place in history.”
While the content may appear historical by nature, Wakuda managed to pull off a unique blend of historical Edo period backdrops with modern styles and references. The exhibit has an obvious familiarity to the urban audience as shown in a piece with a Japanese woman chillin’ out, sporting her Mexico Adidas and groovin’ to some tunes on what looks like my old school record player, file box and all.
I was immediately drawn by the array of vivid, almost overly saturated colors and traditional prints. And the subtle variations of the uniformly reproduced stencil images drew me closer and allowed me to further analyze the content within making each piece completely individual. Overall, Wakuda’s collection has successfully become somewhat of a catalogue of historical pictographs scattered across the urban landscape. This collection, which is on display until May 8, is definitely one of many things to check out in the Haight.
Krys Simon: hipster, philanthropist, geek, lover...
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