META no TAME » Site News

Meeting Modernity Exhibition Tokyo!

Ian LYNAM — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 05:22:00 +0000

Unearthed outside of the city of Sano in Tochigi-ken, this portrait photography series documents Japan as it engaged with modernization and commercial photography in the Meiji and Taishō Periods.

This post marks the Tokyo opening of the Meeting Modernity Exhibition.
Details:

MEETING MODERNITY
OPENING: A Night of Néojaponisme
A night of presentations, discourse, music, and booze.
DATE: 31st of July 2009
OPEN: 1800 START: 1900
FEE: open charge (Nagesen)
PLACE: hybrid so+ba gallery
5-29-20 KYODO SETAGAYA-KU
TOKYO 156-0052
WWW.SO-BA.CC

Come on down to the infamous Hybrid SO+BA Gallery in Kyodo (Odakyu Line) for a night of revelry with the staff of Néojaponisme. A smattering of presentations by the editors of and contributors to the site will be accompanied by Funkmaster DJ Jean Snow on the wheels of steel.

The Total Best Blog on Japan Ever: Us

W. David MARX — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 06:01:41 +0000

Best of Japan On the Web 2009

Give a round of high-fivers and highly-esoteric “van Doesburg Points” to Team Néojaponisme for getting RMP (“real madd props” [sic]) from the list of lists. Listen to this, lesser peoples of the net:

Néojaponisme (www.neojaponisme.com)
Possibly the hippest cat on the block, this site is run by a group of cooler-than-thou arty types, mainly based in Tokyo. They certainly know their stuff, and hitting the site regularly enough leaves you with the satisfying feeling that you’re kinda hangin’ wid da in-crowd. Don’t get any big ideas, though. You’re still too dassai to approach them in reality.

If you approach us at parties, we will inform you that dasai has one “s” and then go back to being horribly nerdy misanthropes with persecution complexes. Alas, I speak for myself.

No, we kid, we kid. We always appreciate compliments and show our gratitude by being completely uncomfortable on how to react and descending into strange self-parody.

Also, a personal triumph: MEKAS. — Best Poser Site. I think he means “cultural elitist” for “poser” since the best “poser” site would be a site posing to be cultural elitist, right? My idea for Best Poser Site would be a collection of photos capturing all the guys in my high school who ran out to get chain-wallets and Dinosaur Jr. T-shirts in early 1994. A special page would be dedicated to Straight Edge tattoos for guys who stopped being straight edge after about three months.

Sneakee Pete

Ian LYNAM — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 13:49:53 +0000

We snuck into type design collective Underware’s site today.

Meeting Modernity in PDX

Ian LYNAM — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 08:22:55 +0000

Néojaponisme’s exhibition Meeting Modernity will be in Portland from January 8 through February 1st in the new year at downtown small press emporium Reading Frenzy. The opening will be on January 8 from 6–9PM. I’ll be in attendance (as will Ma and Pa Lynam!), so come on down.

Recently discovered outside of the city of Sano in Tochigi-ken, the Meeting Modernity collection of found photos documents Japan as it engaged with modernization and commercial photography in the Meiji and Taishō Periods. The series is comprised of portrait photography in particular.

2008: The Year in Review

W. David MARX — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 03:00:15 +0000

For December, the final month of 2008, Néojaponisme will only be running “2008: The Year in Review” mini pieces, covering various topics from the year that is/was. Get your typing fingers ready for comment frenzy as we discuss the finer points of Japan’s economy, political system, pop culture, and technological progress!

Meeting Modernity in Portland

Ian LYNAM — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 14:26:41 +0000

A bit preemptive, but what the hell… Néojaponisme’s exhibition Meeting Modernity will be in Portland from January 8 through February 1st in the new year. The opening will be on January 8 from 6–9PM. I’ll be in attendance (as will Ma and Pa Lynam!), so come on down.

Meeting Modernity exhibition in Los Angeles

Ian LYNAM — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:53:35 +0000

The Meeting Modernity series of found photographs is the focus of Néojaponisme’s first traveling exhibition. Recently unearthed outside of the city of Sano in Tochigi-ken, this series of pictures documents Japan as it engaged with modernization and commercial photography in the Meiji and Taishō Periods. The series is comprised of portrait photography in particular.

The exhibition debuts next month at Young Art, a gallery in Los Angeles’ Highland Park.

MEETING MODERNITY
September 13- October 4 2008
Opening Reception:
Saturday, September 13, 2008 7-10pm

Young Art
747 N. Ave 50
Los Angeles CA 90042

Summer Slowdown

W. David MARX — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:47:08 +0000

Sorry for the recent slowdown in articles.

Ian is in Europe, and I have been super busy with both work and non-work. I am sitting on a huge pile of articles that need to be edited, so good news is, once things calm down this weekend, we will be back in business.

Neojaponisme in Theme

W. David MARX — Fri, 09 May 2008 04:40:27 +0000

Néojaponisme gets a nice write-up in the new issue of Asian culture magazine Theme (Issue 14).

Neojaponisme in Japan Times

W. David MARX — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 02:45:06 +0000

An outside eye on Japan

I am quoted in this article.

I know there are some old-timer, culture-lovin’ expats in Tokyo who probably differ with my appraisal that there’s something new about being young and obsessed with contemporary Japanese pop in the 21st century. But every time I go to some obscure music event in the city and see a half-dozen white kids in the front row (something that would have been absolutely shocking at a Supercar show in 1998 or Readymade Records night in 2000), I have to think that things have changed for the positive. Heartland Brewery may be the new Gas Panic, but there’s now a countervailing force in town to all that Occupation-era residue.

Also, watch out Dave Spector and Pakkun! Here comes Magibon! Become a foreign Japanese-TV celebrity without leaving your own bedroom!