In 1994, Eric Nakamura launched a zine he dubbed Giant Robot, a photocopied, hand-stapled fanboy’s ode to manga, anime, Japanese punk bands and skateboarding. Thirty years later, what started as the personal hobby of a self-proclaimed outcast has transformed into a bastion of pop culture centering Asian American and Asian artists.
Eric Nakamura gives a tour while in front of a Sean Chao art piece entitled “Robot” at the Japanese American National Museum.
(Michael Blackshire / Los Angeles Times)
With “Giant Robot Biennale 5,” on view at the Japanese American National Museum through Sept. 1, the West L.A. native flashes back to his scrappy DIY days and showcases creatives who’ve been a part of his art ecosystem from the past to present day.
The group show features ceramicist Taylor Lee’s figures inspired by vintage Japanese sci-fi films, as well as Luke Chueh’s signature brooding bear paintings and a graffiti-inflected installation by Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park fame.
“I was like, ‘OK, the art has to echo this 30-year journey,’” Nakamura said of curating the exhibition, which ranges from multimedia works by longtime collaborator James Jean to small-yet-mighty watercolor pieces by emerging artist Rain Szeto.
“I used to hate looking back. I was always like, ‘What I’m doing now is most important.’ But for the first time, I went through all the archives, all the photos in tubs and tubs of one-hour photo envelopes, and started to organize. And I think that was just a good kick in the butt to understand: How did I start again, exactly? I took a deep dive into it by doing this exhibition.”
When the biennale opened March 1, more than 1,000 fans endured a labyrinthine line to glimpse the paper scraps, scissors and glue sticks used to make the very first zine. They scrutinized a collage of candid photos trying to ID the stars that orbited around Giant Robot in the late ’90s and early ’00s — from comedian…
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