The Angst of Youth in Contemporary Art Practice

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The Angst of Youth in Contemporary Art Practice
Author
Rees, Julie
Published
2012
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International Journal of the Humanities
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Julie Rees
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The Angst of Youth in Contemporary Art Practice
Julie Rees, Griffith University, Queensland, Australia
Abstract:Theresurgenceofthetheme‘teenageangst’hasbecomeincreasinglypopularamongcon-
temporaryartists,universallydepictingaspectsofalienation,loneliness,depressionandevenunrequited
love.ThispaperwillarguethatJapanesemangaandanimehasbecomeamajorinfluencingfactor
in both Western and Eastern contemporary art practice as it bridges the gap between reality and
fantasy. Arguably, this interface underlines how popular cultural imagery of the East, particularly
Japan,hasimpacteduponbothEasternandWesternartistsworldwide.MasamiTokuarguesthatJa-
panese manga allies’ youth’s identity construction with popular culture by creating an underlying
narrativebasedontheinterplaybetweenfictionalcharactersfantasisingabouttheiraspirationsand
desires,andechoingadolescentsocialritesofpassage.Mypaperwillreferenceandcriticallyanalyse
theworkofAmericanartistCharlieWhite,ChineseartistsCaoFeiandChenKe,andJapaneseartist
AyaTakano.Itwillshowhow,byadoptingandreinterpretingthisdistinctiveJapaneseaesthetic,the
artistscreatearealitythatfunctionsasameansofescapefromsocio-economicrestraintswhile,at
thesametime,exploringotheradultnarrativesintheirwork.Itwillhighlighthowchildlikepictorial
qualitiesprovideanavenuefordarkeradulttropestobeinvestigatedinaformatmoreeasilyaccepted
bysociety.
Keywords:ContemporaryArtPractice,TheInfluenceofJapaneseMangaandAnime,YouthCulture,
RealityandFantasy
Introduction
T
HIS PAPERWILLdiscussthevisualinfluenceof Japanesemangaand animein
contemporaryEasternandWesternartpractices.Itwillexaminevisualartpractices
whoseworksreflectadolescentsocialritesofpassageexpressingaspectsoffantasy,
alienation, and social outcasts. Originally, Japanese manga emerged initially after
the Pacific War (WWII), and escalated primarily after 1960. This material was a form of
cheap entertainment for an impoverished war-weary Japan. The development of manga
duringthistimeabsorbedtheimpactofUScomicswithwell-knowntitlessuchasPopeye
andMickeyMouse,andaccordingtolecturerinJournalism,MediaandCommunications,
CraigNorris(2009),“thesecomicshadasignificantimpactonthestyleofmangacreated
forchildrenatthetimeandwhatmangaweseetoday”(2009,p241).Inherbook,Samurai
fromOuterSpace:UnderstandingJapaneseAnimation(1996),AntoniaLevipointsoutthat
mangahasmultiplegenresbutingeneral,mangaandanimestoriestypicallyquotethefol-
lowingfeatures:ahightechlook,fantasyworlds,humandrama,complexcharacters,inner
development and growth, sexy supernatural, and powerful female characters (Levi 1996,
p.20).Interestingly,eventhoughtheinspirationofmangaemergedoutof1960sAmerican
popularculture,especiallyUScomics,thisinfluencehasrecentlybeenreversed;itisnow
mangaandanime’saestheticsenthusingtheWest.AccordingtoLevi(1996).
TheInternationalJournaloftheHumanities
Volume9,Issue4,2012,http://www.Humanities-Journal.com,ISSN1447-9508
©CommonGround,JulieRees,AllRightsReserved,Permissions:
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THEINTERNATIONALJOURNALOFTHEHUMANITIES
Underground Western comics particularly American, are explicit about their debt to
manga.Itwasinthe1990’sthatcartoonistsreallybegantocreatecomicbooksfeaturing
Japanese themes, characters, and incorporating elements of manga in the drawings.
(Levi1996,p138)
NowitisnotjustthecartoonindustryadoptingthisEasternstyle,asvisualartistsaround
theworldhaveembracedthisartisticgenreaswell.
Japanesemangaandanimehavebecomeamajorinfluencingfactor,inbothWesternand
Easterncontemporaryartpractices,astheyhavecreatedanewvisualgenre,whichbridges
thegapbetweenrealityandfantasy.Arguably,thisinterfaceunderlineshowpopularcultural
imageryoftheEast,particularlyJapan,hasimpacteduponWesternartistsworldwide.Ac-
cordingtoNorris,JapanesemangacanbelooselydefinedasJapanesecomicbooks,while
animeencompassesthebreadthofJapaneseanimation(2009,p236).Americanacademic,
Professor Masami Toku, argues that Japanese manga “allies youth’s identity construction
with popular culture by creating an underlying narrative based on the interplay between
fictionalcharactersfantasisingabouttheiraspirationsanddesires,echoingadolescentsocial
ritesofpassage”(2001,pp11-17).Theappropriationofthispowerfulmediumhasallowed
contemporary art practitioners to reinterpret this visual style within a global context by
combiningtheirownheritageandtheirownnarrativewithdistinctiveJapaneseaesthetics.
Thispaperwillreinforcethesignificanceofthisgenreasanappropriatemediumtocom-
municate fantasy -driven adolescent ideals from an adult perspective. Child psychologist,
DavidElkind(1998),arguesthatyoungpeoplecontrastanidealworldwiththeuglyrealities
oftheexperiencedworldinwhichtheylive(1998,p33).Ibelievethattheartist’spictorial
expressionhastheabilitytocapturethisparadoxandtoinducetheaudience’ssenseofnos-
talgia,stirringchildhoodmemories.InhisbookAllGrownupandnoPlacetogo(1998),
Elkindhighlightstheconstructionofamatureidentityisformulatedthroughthesurroundings
inwhichadolescentslive,whichincludetheinfluenceofpopularculture.Theculturalthe-
orists,SusanNapier,MioBryceandJasonDavis,allarguethatpopularmangaandanime
themescancontributetotheconstructionofadolescenceidentitiesthroughnarrativeandthe
representationsofrealityandthedream.Theimpactisevidentintheworkofartistsinthe
AsiaPacificregionandtheUnitedStates,amongstothers.
The Influenceof Japanese Manga and Anime
This“cute”graphicstylethathasevolved,hasallowedinternationalartpractitionerstotake
illustrativeelementsoforiginalmangaandmorphtheirownmeansofexpressionintoanew
contemporarystyleofart.Itmakesthisnewlyformedgenreaperfectmatchtonarratead-
olescentdreams,fantasies,andexperiences.Thiscanbeseenintheworkofmanycontem-
porary global artists, in particular, the American artist Charlie White, Chinese artists Cao
FeiandChenKe,andJapaneseartistAyaTakano.JeffFleming,aseniorcurator,explains
thattheJapanesearerenownedfor“mimickingtheirvisionofanothertimeandplace,fab-
ricating a synthetic reprieve from daily routines; it is their fantasy world” (2001, p15).
Seemingly, this might explainwhy art practitionersfind this style an appropriatemedium
tocommunicateadolescentideasandsubjectmatter,asmanga-inspiredsimilesareableto
move between the real and the unreal, constructing and deconstructing a unique fantasy
world.AccordingtoMioBryceandJasonDavis,mangaandanimeareavisualcraftedex-
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JULIEREES
perience which reflects the fluid and hybrid complexity of contemporary society through
richnarratives(2009,p1).Flemingsuggeststhat,byadoptingthisdistinctiveJapaneseaes-
thetic,thisformatpermitsarealitythatfunctionsasanopportunitytoescapefromcontem-
porarysocialcircumstancesbutatthesametimeallowsathoroughexplorationintodelicate
socialandeconomicconditions,andotheradultnarrativesintheirwork.Hesuggeststhat,
perhaps,thechildlikepictorialqualitiesprovideanavenueforthedarkeradulttalestotran-
spireinaformatmoreeasilyacceptedbysociety.
DrawingaparallelbetweenFleming’sanalogyandtheworkofCharlieWhite,Whitere-
vealsaslightlydarkundertoneofhumanityinhiswork.CritiquingAmericanculture,White
drawsonbothWesternandEasterninfluences.Thenotionsofentertainment,play,escapism,
andfuturistictechnologyfound inmangaandanimeareevidentinWhite’s work. Under-
standingJoshuaisaseriesofphotographsofacreaturethatismeanttorepresentontological
insecurity.Heinjectsthischaracterintosocialsituationsexperiencingdifferenthumanrela-
tionships.White’smethodologyemphasizesthediscomfortofthoseinteractions,successfully
juxtaposingrealitywithfiction.Alargescalelight-jetphotographicprint,TheCocktailParty
(2000)(Seefig.1)whichispartofthisseries,showcasesafabricatedpartyscenefeaturing
White’scharacterJoshua.TheimagepresentsJoshua’sawkwardattemptstocommunicate
withawoman.ItcouldbereadthatJoshua’scommunicationisametaphorforasocialoutcast
or misfit in society. In their essay, ‘Behavioural Scientists ‘John Cacioppo and Louise
Hawkley argue that “people can be a social outcast in their own minds even while living
amongstothers”(2005,p5),thisishighlightedinWhite’sworkcapturingtheuncomfortable
momentattheparty.Whitelurestheviewerinbyidentifyingwiththisfriendlybutrepulsive
charactercreatingasenseofnostalgia,perhapstriggeringforgottenchildhoodmemoriesof
awkwardsocialinteractionsandotherextremeanxietiesexperiencedduringadolescenceor
eveninadulthood.
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THEINTERNATIONALJOURNALOFTHEHUMANITIES
Fig.1:CharlieWhite,TheCocktailParty,2000,LighthetChromomericPrintMountedon
Plexiglass,36x60inches(Fleming,J&Murakami,T2001,
MyReality:ContemporaryArtandtheCultureofJapaneseAnimation,IndependentCurators
International,NewYork)
ChineseArtistCaoFeialsoplaceshercharactersinsocialsituationsbuthighlightstheact
ofyouthfulroleplaying.WhileFeiusesmulti-mediatechniques,hermainmethodologyis
basedonthecombinationofvideoandphotography,similartoWhite.Throughtheinterplay
ofrealityandfantasy,Feiexperimentswiththemeansbywhichtoexpressyouthfulanxieties.
Thecontextofherworkfocusesonthefateoftheindividualandfusesitwithadeepconcern
for China’s social reality (Noe 2008, p49). Fei uses the neutral urban environment as a
backdropinherwork,blurringthelinebetweenrealspaceandconstructedspace,particularly
in her video and photography series, the Cosplayers (2004). Her work is humorous, yet
piercing, she critiques China’s turbulent urbanisation which was “spurred on by Deng
Xiaoping’s late-1970s economic reforms” (Grieves 2009, p6). The work, Un-Cosplayers
(2004)(seefig.2),iscomposedofshadowingadolescentsdressedinmanga-inspiredfantasy
characterswhoprowlaroundGuangzhouChina,pretendingtofightmockbattles.Onone
hand,theimagessuggestself-mademythsofrole-playingandadventureandthenalternat-
ively,thesamecharactersarerepresentedagaininaverydifferentguiseathomeinafamily-
friendlyenvironment(seefig.3).
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JULIEREES
Fig.2:CaoFei,Un-Cosplayers-HouseBreaker,2006,100x100cm((Grieves,H2009,Cao
FeiUtopia,InstituteofModernArt,SouthBrisbane)
Fig.3:CaoFei,YanMyatHome,2004,ChromogenicPrint30x40Inches(Grieves,H2009,
CaoFeiUtopia,InstituteofModernArt,SouthBrisbane)
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THEINTERNATIONALJOURNALOFTHEHUMANITIES
Thisgapin-betweenorthejuxtapositionbetweentherealisticcityscapesandthefantastic
havens is where Fei has created a wonderful paradoxical tension. According to English
CuratorKarenSmith,“CaoFeiinvestigatesagenerationdisenfranchisedbyreality,cocooning
themselvesinfantasiestobetterdealwithandadapttotheirmonotonousdailylives”(Smith
2007,p1).ForAmericanphilosopherandpsychologistJohnDewey(1934)humanbeings
arenotsubjectsorisolatedindividualswhohavetobuildbridgestogoover...;humanbeings
are...continuallytiedtotheirenvironment,organicallyrelatedtoit,changingitevenasit
changes them. Human beings are fundamentally attached to what surrounds them (1934,
p45).Inlightofthis,Feidrawsonherownsurroundings,eventhoughherworkisdeeply
politicalandbasedonChineseculture.
EventhoughtheinfluencesofJapanesemangaandanimeinbothFeiandWhite’swork
areapplieddifferently,theuseofphotographyistheircommondenominator.Feiusesitto
capturetheindividuals’actofrole-playinginthegame,whethershedisplaysthemockbattle
scenes,ortheyoungpeoplereturninghome.Similarly,White’stechniqueisalsocentredon
theindividualcharacter. Bothartistsusethesemethodsto exaggeratetheinnerturmoilof
thefictionalcharacters.Fei’sbackdropissetwithinarealurbanenvironmentallowingthe
figurestoexploretheiralteregowithinacityscape;whereWhite’sworkconstructsasocial
environment.Fei’sworkemploysnumerouscharacterstocommunicatetheimportanceof
herthemefocusedonthecontrastbetweenadolescentidentitieswithinthecontextofpeers
andfamilyandwithinaspecificsocialcontext,commentingonpopularcultureandtheim-
pliedneedforadolescentstoindulgeinafantasticalworldthatisquicklychanging.According
toChineseauthorofAvatarsandAntiheros,ClaudiaAlbertini(2008),notesthatFei“explores
anddocumentsnewsocialrealitiesofdailylife,byfocusingonadolescentindifferencesand
the adolescent sense of alienation” (2008, p20). Her narratives oscillate between illusion
and reality, and rationality and absurdity. Similarly, arts writer Pedro Alonza states that
‘tensionsexistsincapturingthedualitiesandextremesofhumannature’(2008,p142).
LikeWhite,ChenKealsousesasingularfiguretodisplaytheextremitiesofadolescent
anxieties. Chen’s work creates whimsical dreamscapes with minimalistic gestures. Her
melancholyfiguresarticulateherownmemoriesofchildhoodoflonelinessanddespondency.
AccordingtoAlbertini,Chenbelievesthathercharactersaresomewhatsad,isolated,and
powerlessandconfidesthat‘thisishowshefeltattimesduringherteenageyears...”(2008,
p14).Shedemonstratesthisbyplacinghercharacterinisolation,encapsulatingthefeelings
oflonelinesswhichcanbeseeninherworkPlayGround(2010)(seefig.4)wherethechild
isplacedonherown,playingonanindoorchair.Thehandatthebottomoftheimageseems
tosymbolisethepresenceofanadult,suggestingthatthegirlisatthemercyofparentalac-
tions.
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JULIEREES
Fig.4:ChenKe,PlayGround,2010,OilonCanvas,200cmDiameter(Arthag,n.d,image,
Viewedon16November2010,<http://arthag.yprepad.com/a./
6aoil571160e4a970c01348745a8ab970c-pi>)
Whereas, White and Fei uses photography to stage adolescent anxieties, Ke draws on a
combination of techniques, which include painting, installation, and sculpture to generate
increased experimentation in her work. Primarily, Chen’s work does not focus on society
ortheurbanenvironmentbutismoreconcernedwithherprivateemotionalworld.Chen’s
stylereflectsaninfluencefrombothJapaneseandWesternpopcultureimports.Hermixing
ofcontemporaryimagerywithpainterlyskillsharesasimilarapproachtothewellknown
contemporaryJapaneseartistYoshitomoNara.ChenbelievesthatthecartooncultureofJapan
is a kind of escapism for the contemporary individual in a modern society where rapid
changeshaveboughtaboutasenseofemotionalemptiness.Inaddition,LiXu,anartswriter,
arguesthat“itisnotjustcartoonsandpopculturethatinfluenceChenKe’sfantasticalvisions
ofchildhoodbutEuropeanfolklore,VictoriannovelsandChinesemythology”(2008,p147).
Arguably,thiscombinationofmulti-culturalinfluencesmakesChen’sartworkmoreengaging
inauniversalsense,byaddingmulti-leveledandmulti-culturalaccesspointsinherwork.
In methodological terms, she uses modeling paste, oil paints, fabrics, canvas, and even
constructs three-dimensional pieces at times. She expresses her inner worlds on various
surfaces,usingherdistinctivepopularcultureimagesashercentralmeansofcommunication.
In aesthetic terms, Japanese artist, Aya Takano also shares a similarity with Japanese
mangainherwork.Takano’sworkismotivatedbyhervividimaginationandexpressesher
everyday musings by referencing alternate states of reality through the exploration of the
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