Location: San Francisco, Asian Art Museum, North Court
FREE with general admission

Japanese artist Natsusaka demonstrates and presents his original narrative sculpture work “A Carved Strip,” inspired by traditional samurai stories. Natsusaka mixes contemporary art, storytelling, kitsch images and text to create this crossover art form.

About the artist:

Born in 1971 in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, Natsusaka Shinichiro graduated from Tama Art University in 1996 with a degree in oil painting. He started creating a series of sculptural works with characters and typography he calls Kambanart (“billboard” in Japanese plus the English word “art”) while he was in school. Since 1997, he has created more than 300 figurines as characters from popular animated movies like Princess Mononoke and Nightmare before Christmas.

Natsusaka relocated to France in 2000 and presented an installation that combined sculptural figures and storytelling titled Bande Sculptée (A Carved Strip). In 2004, La Planète des Samouraïs (English title: Planet of Samurais), a part of the installation Bande Sculptée won the Excellence Prize in the Manga division of the 8th Japan Media Arts Festival.

He also participated in Totoro Forest Project at Pixar Animation Studio, California in 2008 and currently working on continuation of the story La Planète des Samouraïs.

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Location: Space Gallery, 1141 Polk St. SF | btw Sutter & Post | 415.377.3325 | www.spacegallerysf.com

21+ | Door 8pm | FREE before 10pm | $5 After
Livepainting 9pm-
Info: www.sir-sf.com

Artists:
Ai Sugano (Photography)
Akko Terasawa (Photography)
Aoi Yamaguchi (Live Japanese Calligraphy / Exhibition)
Hiroko Tsuchimoto (Textile Installation)
IxDxE (Painting)
Junko Maegawa (Graphic Art)
Lavit Sea (Live Illustration / Exhibition)
Noa- (Live Painting / Exhibition)
Tadamasa Iguchi (Photography)
Tae Hanayama (Graphic Art)
Ru Short (Mixed Media)
Yoshinori Kataoka (Film Screening)

Music by Tokyo Component / 8 Doors / Yusai / Zaion (Sound Design, DJs)

From the chilly winds of winter, the fourth in this series of art exhibitions and live performances will be presented by Japanese local talents known as “Surreality in Reality”. As an epilogue to the cyclical Four Seasons, they bring you “Colorless Spectrum” — seemingly paradoxical, reminiscent of the ancient Japanese philosophy revealing that behind everything lies the primordial nothingness. Seeking the infinite possibilities of the color white, the key hue of the winter season, the only color composed of all colors, each artist presents their own interpretation of the Colorless Spectrum through various media. Like the blank map that inspires a journey of exploration, S.I.R. invites you to delve into a universe of white concealing a spectrum of unlimited potentiality. Now, as we are approaching the completion of one cycle, as all returns to where it originated, we have already begun another journey anew.

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• BAAU Meetup, SF Japantown, 12 Sep 09
• AsiaAlive: Modern Samurais—Natsusaka Shinichiro demo, Asian Art Museum, 3-6 Sep 09
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• New People Grand Opening and J-Pop Summit Festival, SF Japantown, 15 Aug 09

The National Japanese American Historical Society, in collaboration with the Nichi Bei Times, presents an exhibit and public event series on the evolving artform of manga and anime.

Curated by Kenji G. Taguma / Nichi Bei Times and Deb Aoki, with contributions by the Napa Valley Museum.

Featuring:

• Osamu Tezuka (“Astro Boy”)
• Willie Ito (Disney, “Hello Maggie”)
• Stan Sakai (“Usagi Yojimbo”)
• Tak Toyoshima (Nationally-syndicated “Secret Asian Man”)
• Deb Aoki (Honolulu Advertiser’s “Bento Box”)
• Adrian Tomine (“Optic Nerve”)
• Bob Kuwahara (“Miki”)
• Lela Lee (“Angry Little Girls”)
• Other Artists
• Manga Art Contest Winners
• Anime Goes Hollywood
• Original English Manga
• Tokyo Anime Tour
• Ghibli Museum

Opening Reception:
Saturday, Jan. 24, 2009, 2 pm

Cherry Blossom Festival Event feat. Willie Ito, Others:
Saturday, April 18, 2009

Children’s Day Event:
Saturday, May 2, 2009

All events are in the:
NJAHS Peace Gallery
1684 Post St.
San Francisco
(between Laguna and Webster)

Hours: M-F and the first Saturday of the month from 12 Noon – 5pm

Admission to the gallery and all events are free to the public.

For more information visit: njahs.org

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The remainder of the art pieces from the Totoro Forest Project charity auction will be going on display at the Cartoon Art Museum starting December 16th. Attend the opening reception from 7-9pm and be among the first to view the complete set on display!

Location: Cartoon Art Museum, 655 Mission Street, San Francisco [View Map]

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Surreality In Reality presents Japanese Art Exhibition and Performances

Friday October 3rd, 2008 @ Space Gallery
1141 Polk St. SF | btw Sutter & Post | 415.377.3325

21+ | Door 8pm | FREE before 10pm | $5 After
Livepainting 10pm-
Info: www.sir-sf.com

Artists:
Noa- (Live Paintings / Exhibition)
Aoi Yamaguchi (Live Calligraphy / Exhibition)
Akko Terasawa (Photography)
Junko Maegawa / Daisuke Maki (Graphic Art)
Lavit Sea (Illustration)
Kay Kanayama (Oil Painting)
Yoshinori Kataoka (Film Screening)
DJ Nishiyama / Zaion / DJ Yusai / MC Eleven (Sound Design, DJs)

The third series of this Japanese art exhibition, featuring live performances, will be presented by a plethora of mind-blowing Japanese local talent known as S.I.R. Introducing Japanese traditional culture just in time for the falling of Autumn leaves: for this, the season of reading, each artist visually depicts creations inspired by their favorite prominent Japanese poet or novelist. Since the age of The Tale of Genji, Autumn has been considered to be the ideal season of the annual cycle for one’s complete immersion and enjoyment of literature, a foundation upon which they can rest their weary souls after the hectic, humid, eventful zenith of Summer. And while the eternal transition of seasons propels us towards the future, the world of legendary artists can be summoned through universal emotions that lure you to turn the pages of your internal journey of life stories.

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• “Colorless Spectrum” by Surreality in Reality, Japanese Art Exhibition & Performances 30 Jan 09
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• Animation on Display (AOD), San Francisco Japantown, 19-20 Feb 2011

The Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco will be holding an exhibition of the original artwork generated for and inspired by The Totoro Forest Project — a fundraising auction supporting the Totoro no Furusato National Fund — starting this Saturday, September 20th. Art pieces were donated from 205 artists across the world and all were successfully sold at the auction event held on September 6th at Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville.

The auction raised an estimated $201,236. These proceeds go to the Totoro no Furusato Foundation, an organization dedicated to preserving the beautiful natural habitat and cultural assets of Sayama Hills and its surrounding areas. This area is known as Hayao Miyazaki’s inspiration for his film “Tonari no Totoro.”

184 pieces from the Totoro Forest Project will be on display upon opening. A reception will be held sometime in December to mark the addition of the rest of the art pieces to the exhibit, which runs through February 8th of next year.

Location: Cartoon Art Museum, 655 Mission Street, San Francisco [View Map]

Hours: Daily 11:00 – 5:00. Closed Monday and on New Years Day, Easter, July 4, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Admission: $6.00 – Adults; $4.00 – Students & Seniors; $2.00 – Children (ages 6 – 12); FREE – Children (age 5 & below). The first Tuesday of every calendar month is “Pay What You Wish Day.”

Update 11.18.2008: The opening reception will be held on December 16th.

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San Francisco based publication Nichi Bei Times has co-sponsored a month-long manga and anime exhibit at the Napa Valley Museum. The exhibit opened on August 15th and runs through September 14th, so there’s still time to check it out!

Location: The Napa Valley Museum, 55 Presidents Circle, Yountville, CA [View Map]
Hours: Daily except Tuesday, from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Admission: $4.50 adults, $3.50 students/seniors, $2.50 for youth 7-17, children under 7 free

More details about the exhibit available on the Nichi Bei Times website:
Manga Exhibit to Open at Napa Valley Museum Aug. 15 – Sept. 14

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