GIANT ROBOT BIENNALE 2 EXHIBITION SET FOR NATIONAL MUSEUM ON OCT. 24

The Japanese American National Museum will premiere the Giant Robot Biennale 2: 15 Years exhibition as part of its continuing Salon Pop series. Developed in collaboration with publisher Eric Nakamura of Giant Robot, the exhibition will run from October 24, 2009 through January 24, 2010 with an opening reception set for October 24, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the National Museum in Little Tokyo. The reception will feature live music and attendance by many of the participating artists and key members of the Giant Robot family.

In 1994 Giant Robot was born with the purpose of documenting and promoting new, up-and-coming, underdog, overlooked, and hybrid Asian and Asian-American popular culture. Fifteen years later, the self-published magazine has not only evolved from a stapled-and-folded "zine" into a full-color, glossy publication with an international following. It has also opened trend-setting shops and influential art galleries in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York City. To celebrate the magazine's longevity, energy, and loyal readership, the National Museum will host the second Giant Robot Biennale. The first show was installed at the end of 2007.

This multi-faceted exhibition will celebrate the depth and diversity of perspectives found within the Giant Robot experience through a series of components that visually represents the magazine’s ethos. Providing an overview of the Giant Robot aesthetic, publisher Eric Nakamura will curate artwork by individuals who have contributed to Giant Robot's gallery shows, magazine articles, or cover art over the past 15 years. This exhibition will include installations by David Choe, James Jean, and Souther Salazar, in addition to works by Theo Ellsworth, kozyndan, Stella Lai, Jack Long, Albert Reyes, Jeff Soto, and Deth P. Sun.

A second component will feature a group show of more than 50 other artists in typical GR fashion. Giant Robot has helped to transform the landscape and the boundaries of contemporary art, often working with brand-new artists (some still in art school). Many have gone on to great success presenting their art around the world, while others pay the rent with art-related projects such as commercial work and consumer products. In either case, Giant Robot has served as a launching pad for new ideas, new artists, and new art forms. A complete list of artists will be available at www.janm.org/exhibits/gr15.

The third component in the exhibition will be a retrospective for longtime magazine contributor Ben Clark. Clark’s powerful photographs from past issues will be displayed in a larger, more vibrant print format and accompanied by recollections, explanations, and other ramblings by editor Martin Wong.

In the fourth component, Giant Robot continues to pay tribute to one of the roots of Asian popular culture—the kaiju scene introduced by Godzilla, Gamera, other giant monsters, and the toy industry. This component will feature the collaborative works made by Japanese indie sculptor and artist Yukinori Dehara, UglyDolls co-creator David Horvath, and Portland, Oregon-based underground toy legend LeMerde.

The fifth and final component will feature four custom videogames that have been developed by the Attract Mode Collective in conjunction with some of Giant Robot’s favorite artists. These games were made exclusively for the Game Over/Continue? show at GRSF (March-April, 2009) and will be available for play throughout the exhibition’s run. The artist and developer parings include Hellen Jo and Derek Yu, Saelee Oh and Anna Anthropy, Souther Salazar and Petri Purho, and Deth P. Sun and Jonathan "Cactus" Soderstrom.

Giant Robot magazine began in 1994, as a staple-and-fold zine and has now grown into a full-fledged bi-monthly magazine, which is available at most stores and newsstands. Giant Robot opened its first store in 2001, and formulated a combination of pop culture goods, ranging from Japanese import toys, graphic design and art books, and monthly art exhibitions. Giant Robot has since opened stores and galleries in San Francisco and New York City and even has a restaurant called gr/eats in West Los Angeles. Curating this exhibition is the publisher/co-editor and owner, Eric Nakamura who curates most of the 36 exhibitions Giant Robot puts on annually in each of the three cities.

The Japanese American National Museum is dedicated to fostering greater understanding and appreciation for America's ethnic and cultural diversity by preserving and telling the stories of Americans of Japanese ancestry. Since its incorporation in 1985, the National Museum has grown into an internationally recognized institution, presenting award-winning exhibitions, groundbreaking traveling exhibits, educational public programs, innovative video documentaries and cutting-edge curriculum guides. The National Museum raised close to $60 million to renovate an historic building in 1992 and open a state-of-the-art Pavilion in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo Historic District in 1999. There are now members and donors representing all 50 states and 16 countries.

The Japanese American National Museum is located at 369 East First Street in the historic Little Tokyo section of Los Angeles. For more information, call (213) 625-0414 or visit www.janm.org. National Museum hours are Sunday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday: 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Thursday 12:00. to 8:00 p.m. Admission is $9.00 for adults, $5.00 for seniors; $5.00 for students and children; free for Museum members and children under age six. Admission is free to everyone on Thursdays from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. and every third Thursday of the month from 12:00. to 8:00 p.m. Closed Mondays, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. Final visitor admissions take place thirty minutes before closing.