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281 · 281_anti-nuke · 3-11 · abenomics · adrian storey · banksy · david w. marxy · fukushima · japan · neojaponisme · netto uyoku · News · roth management · ryan roth · shinzo abe · zainichi ·

281_Anti-Nuke’s Art and What it Means For Japanese Politics.

Art has the power to provoke ideas and inflame passions. Politics and art, in this way, go hand in hand. When an event of historical magnitude occurs, it’s only a matter of time before an artist emerges and addresses it. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s economic plan (Abenomics) as the story of the hour in news circles, it’s easy to forget that Japan endured a nuclear catastrophe just 2 years ago. In March 2011, the Tokyo Electric Power Company’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant underwent a partial meltdown from the 3.11 Earthquake and Tsunami. Approximately 157,000 residents were forced to flee their homes due to radioactive contamination in Fukushima prefecture with little hope of ever returning. Critics blamed the disaster on negligence and incompetency concerning safety regulations willingly overlooked by TEPCO and the Japanese government. Flash-forward to today and the public carries on as if it’s business as usual. The earthquake, tsunami, or even Fukushima rarely comes up in casual conversations. On the surface, it appears that the populace and Japanese government have forgotten the disaster altogether. One artist hasn’t. The man calling himself 281_Anti Nuke designed stickers, posters, and indiscreetly plastered them throughout Tokyo. His most recognizable piece is a small girl in a slicker with “I hate rain” printed beneath. It isn’t until you glimpse a nuclear trefoil inscribed beneath the text that its message dawns on you and all the events broadcasted from yesteryear return to you in a flood of regret.   His ‘mock’ propaganda is a sharp–albeit intrusive– reminder of the gravity of what happened in Fukushima not so long ago. It’s a tragedy that he claims the government created. It’s a tragedy that he believes they coerced the public to forget. Giant Robot Magazine previously reported sightings of his art in October 2011. Back then, information on 281 was scarce. Two years later, major outlets like The Economist, Financial Times, and Wall Street Journal have featured photos of his art in articles about national politics. Others like Japan Rolling Stones, Channel 24, and The Japan Times have even interviewed the enigmatic artist himself. Besides his distrust of the Japanese government and his drive to hold them accountable, almost no one knows anything about 281′s personal life–let alone his actual name. The retrospective at the Pink Cow bar in Roppongi on June 6th, 2013, was held to raise awareness of his work and offer a little more insight into the artist himself. The retrospective hosted a preview screening of filmmaker/photographer Adrian Storey’s self-titled documentary about 281. Storey formerly featured some of 281′s designs in a segment that he submitted for Ridley Scott’s Japan in a Day documentary. 281 contacted Storey and requested permission to use the images from Japan in a Day for his own personal website. Story agreed on the condition that 281 consent to be the subject of the aforementioned self-titled documentary. Filming began in January of this year. Stroey’s documentary not only depicted the platform for 281’s opposition to the corruption of Japanese politicians and nuclear industry, but...
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281 · 281_anti-nuke · 3-11 · abenomics · adrian storey · banksy · david w. marxy · fukushima · japan · neojaponisme · netto uyoku · News · roth management · ryan roth · shinzo abe · zainichi ·

281_Anti-Nuke’s Art and What it Means For Japanese Politics.

Art has the power to provoke ideas and inflame passions. Politics and art, in this way, go hand in hand. When an event of historical magnitude occurs, it’s only a matter of time before an artist emerges and addresses it. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s economic plan (Abenomics) as the story of the hour in news circles, it’s easy to forget that Japan endured a nuclear catastrophe just 2 years ago. In March 2011, the Tokyo Electric Power Company’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant underwent a partial meltdown from the 3.11 Earthquake and Tsunami. Approximately 157,000 residents were forced to flee their homes due to radioactive contamination in Fukushima prefecture with little hope of ever returning. Critics blamed the disaster on negligence and incompetency concerning safety regulations willingly overlooked by TEPCO and the Japanese government. Flash-forward to today and the public carries on as if it’s business as usual. The earthquake, tsunami, or even Fukushima rarely comes up in casual conversations. On the surface, it appears that the populace and Japanese government have forgotten the disaster altogether. One artist hasn’t. The man calling himself 281_Anti Nuke designed stickers, posters, and indiscreetly plastered them throughout Tokyo. His most recognizable piece is a small girl in a slicker with “I hate rain” printed beneath. It isn’t until you glimpse a nuclear trefoil inscribed beneath the text that its message dawns on you and all the events broadcasted from yesteryear return to you in a flood of regret.   His ‘mock’ propaganda is a sharp–albeit intrusive– reminder of the gravity of what happened in Fukushima not so long ago. It’s a tragedy that he claims the government created. It’s a tragedy that he believes they coerced the public to forget. Giant Robot Magazine previously reported sightings of his art in October 2011. Back then, information on 281 was scarce. Two years later, major outlets like The Economist, Financial Times, and Wall Street Journal have featured photos of his art in articles about national politics. Others like Japan Rolling Stones, Channel 24, and The Japan Times have even interviewed the enigmatic artist himself. Besides his distrust of the Japanese government and his drive to hold them accountable, almost no one knows anything about 281′s personal life–let alone his actual name. The retrospective at the Pink Cow bar in Roppongi on June 6th, 2013, was held to raise awareness of his work and offer a little more insight into the artist himself. The retrospective hosted a preview screening of filmmaker/photographer Adrian Storey’s self-titled documentary about 281. Storey formerly featured some of 281′s designs in a segment that he submitted for Ridley Scott’s Japan in a Day documentary. 281 contacted Storey and requested permission to use the images from Japan in a Day for his own personal website. Story agreed on the condition that 281 consent to be the subject of the aforementioned self-titled documentary. Filming began in January of this year. Stroey’s documentary not only depicted the platform for 281’s opposition to the corruption of Japanese politicians and nuclear industry, but...
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dinosaur jr · dum dum girls · fade into you · hidden world revealed · j mascis · keep company · light eyes · mazzy star · Music · MW · News · red temple spirits · sisu · the three o'clock · una kim ·

Una Kim on Keep + Dinosaur Jr. shoes plus new music by J Mascis, The Three O’Clock, SISU, Red Temple Spirits

How rad is it to have a friend who started her own shoe company? How rad is it that she would release a kick-ass Dinosaur Jr. shoe that comes with a 7″ picture disc of J Mascis covering Mazzy Star’s “Fade Into You”? Hot damn! I had to ask Una Kim for more details about this shoe and how it came to be.

MW: I have no doubt people are going to listen to the record, which is a real dream. Do you expect to see guys out in the streets wearing the shoes or are they more like collectibles?
UK: I hope so, though purple is a bold color. I appreciate collectors–some of my closest friends are mega collectors–but I’ve always liked seeing Keeps on the streets. To each his or her own. I know I will wear mine. I hope collectors will buy one to wear and one to save, like they’d do with magazines or records. Keep one sealed! Since all net proceeds benefit the humanitarian work of Amma, J’s guru, it all goes to a good cause.

MW: How did you approach J about the project? Did he require much convincing?
UK: My awesome friend Tiffany Anders connected me with J. She brought him over to a BBQ at my house and it all went pretty easily from there. I am really grateful to Tiffany because this project, in particular, has a lot of meaning for me. Getting the chance to collaborate with Dinosaur Jr. is a like a dream come true, and when I listened to the test pressing of the 7″ I almost cried. These kinds of projects really make me feel stoked and appreciative.

MW: What was the collaborative process like? Did you run options by him? Did he throw ideas your way?
UK: J knew exactly what he wanted. His favorite color is purple so that was pretty clear from the start. And he liked this Guitar Strap Ramos that we had made in a previous season, so he got ideas from that design which ended up as an embroidery along the back of the shoe that was inspired by his own guitar strap. The shoe is very, very much a reflection of J.

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