Things We Love, Fine 473/475: "Art is Explosion!"

As a English and Fine Arts student, it's sometimes hard to find a middle ground between the two aspects of my majors. As much as one is rooted in textual content, and the other, visual, it's not hard to see where they intersect and product a new form of communication. The early illuminated scripts of the Medieval period are as much about the illustrations as the meaning.

My area of interest is in the rise of fandom in the digital age. In texts like Little Boy: The Arts of Japan's Exploding Subculture, the aspects of the rise of the prevalence of certain types of subcultures, accepted or not, have given birth to distinct identities. In a way, that subculture incorporates a different of values that encourages the sharing of content, remixing of original sources, or the way that amateurs can become creators as well.

There are obviously problematic or aesthetic matters that are tied to different fandoms: some might say that the "brony" (a rather inaccurate title for the fans of My Little Pony) label only serves to push female fans out of the space where they are supposedly safe. Otaku, as described in Little Boy by Takashi Murakami and Fandom Unbound: Otaku Culture in a Connected World, shows the far reaching power of "soft" culture exports that can influence generations of people, even so far as how we identify ourselves outside markers of gender, sex or ethnic background.

But enough of that...I'm really an illustrator at heart, and I am influenced by people like Ai Wei Wei, Yayoi Kusami, and Sandy Skoglund. I guess I might sound a bit stand-offish and stuffy, but this is the best way I can think of. My art gives off the feeling of childishness, and deals with cutouts that are larger than life. In a way it reflects how we perceive 2D versus 3D.

Visit my blog for more drawings, and hope to see you at the fourth-year show!