Kunié Sugiura's groundbreaking art gets long-overdue spotlight at SFMOMA
During a recent morning stroll through her new solo exhibition at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Japanese artist Kunié Sugiura paused in front of a wall-size photo of herself that was taken 53 years ago in a New York gallery.
'I don't even know who she is,' said the 82-year-old photographer with a smile, looking bemused at the image of her younger self.
In the 1972 photo, Sugiura stands in front of one of her early photocanvases, one similar to those on view in the SFMOMA survey exhibition 'Kunié Sugiura: Photopainting.' It's a semi-abstract photograph of a detail from nature, maybe beach sand, ash or a Central Park stone, which she blew up and then printed by hand on photosensitized canvas, applying graphite to accentuate contrast.
The result, like much of Sugiura's work from the 1970s on, looks surprisingly contemporary. She started creating hybrid work that played with the boundaries between photography and painting years before it was popular, and yet Sugiura has only recently received the attention from museums and collectors that she deserves.
Just last year, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York bought two of her photopaintings, and the SFMOMA acquired two of the standout images in its exhibition — her 1969 photocanvas 'Yellow Mum,' the cover image of the exhibition's accompanying catalog, published by MACK; and 'Deadend Street' (1978), a sculptural photopainting that juxtaposes a gritty street in Queens, N.Y., with monochromatic black painted panels, divided in the center by empty space.
'Kunié started making color photographs as art at a time when pretty much nobody else was,' explained Erin O'Toole, who curated the SFMOMA show and serves as head of photography at the museum. 'I think that's likely why her work took some time to get attention, because people didn't quite know what to make of it.'
O'Toole went on to explain that there was a perceived divide in the art world well into the 1970s between painting, deemed expressive, and photography, regarded as more formal and purely representational — 'Kunié insisted on blurring that boundary.'
Unlike the young black-haired artist who exudes tough-girl cool in the 1972 photo, with her arms crossed and her thumbs looped in her bell-bottoms, Sugiura today is calm and cheerful. She said it was gratifying to see more than 60 works from her six decades of artistic experimentationon view together.
Touring the newly installed show prompted her to recall positive memories and fruitful, collaborative friendships – like with 94-year-old artist Ushio Shinohara, who's depicted splattering paint with boxing gloves in one of her bold photograms from 1999.
'People might not know this about me, but my life has been the best of the best,' Sugiura said. 'I'm happy I've found a way of life and of working that's stayed interesting for so long.'
The SFMOMA exhibition dedicates a room to each chronologically distinct phase in Sugiura's career, spanning from the 1960s to 2021, featuring photocanvases, photopaintings, photograms and x-rays.
'I couldn't believe that her work had never been the subject of a major exhibition in the U.S.,' said O'Toole, who started planning the SFMOMA show after visiting Sugiura in her New York studio three years ago. 'I could already envision how dynamic an exhibition of the full arc of her career could be.'
Sugiura was born in Nagoya, Japan, at the height of World War II. Before she turned 2, her father was killed in a U.S. military bombing of the munitions factory where he worked. She showed artistic ability as well as scientific promise from a young age, and enrolled in a women's university in Tokyo to study physics before making the radical decision to apply to art school in the United States.
In 1967, just a few days after graduating from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she had been influenced by conceptual photographer Ken Josephson, Sugiura moved to New York and began her ongoing exploration into new ways to approach photography.
Her early experimentations involved coating large sheets of canvas with liquid photo emulsion, also called 'liquid light,' which created unique and surprising results. Working at home and at a large scale, she had to use her bathroom as a darkroom and would wash the massive canvases in her tub, wearing a swimsuit to avoid ruining her clothes.
She recalled feeling 'very happy' with the results, and it allowed her to marry her science background with creative darkroom improvisation.
'I think like an Impressionist painter,' said Sugiura, 'but I was glad that I didn't have to just do painting because I was very frustrated by it. I also didn't want to just create simple black and whites (with a camera). I saw possibilities in making large images on canvas, a material people assume is for painting.'
Her best photopaintings, like 'Deadend Street' (1978), marry Sugiura's eye for natural or architectural detail with an urban sophistication. Unlike Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg, both of whom she cites as influences, she used her own photos, rather than screenprinting mass-media images.
Stuck at home during the COVID pandemic, Sugiura revisited her anatomical x-ray series, which she had begun 30 years earlier. During a 1990 hospitalization for a collapsed lung, she became fascinated with the mysterious, anonymous beauty of x-rays which were then printed on thick film stock.
'When I was in the hospital, every four hours they were taking x-rays,' she recalled. 'I said, 'I want to see what you are looking at. I think I could do something very interesting with these images.''
The doctors agreed to give her other patients' discarded films, as long as she blacked out their names (which would surely be a HIPAA violation today). She amassed a sizable collection and created a series of haunting, surprisingly beautiful images.
'X-rays are innocent of gender. Man or woman, we all have the same structure. I might be weird, but I find that beautiful,' she said, standing in front of her large 2021 work 'Vertebra,' a massive grid of spinal column x-rays connected by colorful, interchangeable painted panels.
Sugiura said she still makes art almost daily in the same fourth-floor Chinatown loft she's lived and worked in since 1974.
'I used to try to separate living and working, but the whole place is now a place for work,' she said. 'I work every day as much as I can, and I love it.'
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San Francisco Chronicle
11 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Kunié Sugiura's groundbreaking art gets long-overdue spotlight at SFMOMA
During a recent morning stroll through her new solo exhibition at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Japanese artist Kunié Sugiura paused in front of a wall-size photo of herself that was taken 53 years ago in a New York gallery. 'I don't even know who she is,' said the 82-year-old photographer with a smile, looking bemused at the image of her younger self. In the 1972 photo, Sugiura stands in front of one of her early photocanvases, one similar to those on view in the SFMOMA survey exhibition 'Kunié Sugiura: Photopainting.' It's a semi-abstract photograph of a detail from nature, maybe beach sand, ash or a Central Park stone, which she blew up and then printed by hand on photosensitized canvas, applying graphite to accentuate contrast. The result, like much of Sugiura's work from the 1970s on, looks surprisingly contemporary. She started creating hybrid work that played with the boundaries between photography and painting years before it was popular, and yet Sugiura has only recently received the attention from museums and collectors that she deserves. Just last year, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York bought two of her photopaintings, and the SFMOMA acquired two of the standout images in its exhibition — her 1969 photocanvas 'Yellow Mum,' the cover image of the exhibition's accompanying catalog, published by MACK; and 'Deadend Street' (1978), a sculptural photopainting that juxtaposes a gritty street in Queens, N.Y., with monochromatic black painted panels, divided in the center by empty space. 'Kunié started making color photographs as art at a time when pretty much nobody else was,' explained Erin O'Toole, who curated the SFMOMA show and serves as head of photography at the museum. 'I think that's likely why her work took some time to get attention, because people didn't quite know what to make of it.' O'Toole went on to explain that there was a perceived divide in the art world well into the 1970s between painting, deemed expressive, and photography, regarded as more formal and purely representational — 'Kunié insisted on blurring that boundary.' Unlike the young black-haired artist who exudes tough-girl cool in the 1972 photo, with her arms crossed and her thumbs looped in her bell-bottoms, Sugiura today is calm and cheerful. She said it was gratifying to see more than 60 works from her six decades of artistic experimentationon view together. Touring the newly installed show prompted her to recall positive memories and fruitful, collaborative friendships – like with 94-year-old artist Ushio Shinohara, who's depicted splattering paint with boxing gloves in one of her bold photograms from 1999. 'People might not know this about me, but my life has been the best of the best,' Sugiura said. 'I'm happy I've found a way of life and of working that's stayed interesting for so long.' The SFMOMA exhibition dedicates a room to each chronologically distinct phase in Sugiura's career, spanning from the 1960s to 2021, featuring photocanvases, photopaintings, photograms and x-rays. 'I couldn't believe that her work had never been the subject of a major exhibition in the U.S.,' said O'Toole, who started planning the SFMOMA show after visiting Sugiura in her New York studio three years ago. 'I could already envision how dynamic an exhibition of the full arc of her career could be.' Sugiura was born in Nagoya, Japan, at the height of World War II. Before she turned 2, her father was killed in a U.S. military bombing of the munitions factory where he worked. She showed artistic ability as well as scientific promise from a young age, and enrolled in a women's university in Tokyo to study physics before making the radical decision to apply to art school in the United States. In 1967, just a few days after graduating from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she had been influenced by conceptual photographer Ken Josephson, Sugiura moved to New York and began her ongoing exploration into new ways to approach photography. Her early experimentations involved coating large sheets of canvas with liquid photo emulsion, also called 'liquid light,' which created unique and surprising results. Working at home and at a large scale, she had to use her bathroom as a darkroom and would wash the massive canvases in her tub, wearing a swimsuit to avoid ruining her clothes. She recalled feeling 'very happy' with the results, and it allowed her to marry her science background with creative darkroom improvisation. 'I think like an Impressionist painter,' said Sugiura, 'but I was glad that I didn't have to just do painting because I was very frustrated by it. I also didn't want to just create simple black and whites (with a camera). I saw possibilities in making large images on canvas, a material people assume is for painting.' Her best photopaintings, like 'Deadend Street' (1978), marry Sugiura's eye for natural or architectural detail with an urban sophistication. Unlike Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg, both of whom she cites as influences, she used her own photos, rather than screenprinting mass-media images. Stuck at home during the COVID pandemic, Sugiura revisited her anatomical x-ray series, which she had begun 30 years earlier. During a 1990 hospitalization for a collapsed lung, she became fascinated with the mysterious, anonymous beauty of x-rays which were then printed on thick film stock. 'When I was in the hospital, every four hours they were taking x-rays,' she recalled. 'I said, 'I want to see what you are looking at. I think I could do something very interesting with these images.'' The doctors agreed to give her other patients' discarded films, as long as she blacked out their names (which would surely be a HIPAA violation today). She amassed a sizable collection and created a series of haunting, surprisingly beautiful images. 'X-rays are innocent of gender. Man or woman, we all have the same structure. I might be weird, but I find that beautiful,' she said, standing in front of her large 2021 work 'Vertebra,' a massive grid of spinal column x-rays connected by colorful, interchangeable painted panels. Sugiura said she still makes art almost daily in the same fourth-floor Chinatown loft she's lived and worked in since 1974. 'I used to try to separate living and working, but the whole place is now a place for work,' she said. 'I work every day as much as I can, and I love it.'
Business Upturn
2 days ago
- Business Upturn
How anime is shaping global pop culture: Top trends to watch in 2025
Anime is no longer confined to Japan or niche fandoms—it has become a significant driver of global pop culture. With its unique blend of artistic expression, storytelling, and emotional resonance, anime has captured the imaginations of millions worldwide. The last decade has seen exponential growth in anime's international appeal, powered by streaming giants like Netflix and Crunchyroll, increased accessibility, and a surge in global events celebrating anime culture. As we step into 2025, the trends indicate that anime will continue to weave itself deeper into the fabric of global culture. From influencing fashion runways in Paris to inspiring blockbuster Hollywood films, anime's footprint is undeniable. Not only does it impact entertainment, but it also shapes music, gaming, social media, and even lifestyle trends. These trends range from technological advances in animation, cross-cultural collaborations, and evolving storytelling styles to the rising prominence of virtual influencers and the blending of anime aesthetics into mainstream media. Understanding these trends provides a glimpse into the future of global entertainment and cultural exchange fueled by anime. Whether you're a longtime fan or new to the medium, the year ahead promises exciting developments that will transform how anime is produced, consumed, and celebrated worldwide. Let's dive into the key trends shaping anime's global revolution in 2025. Streaming Platforms Are Powering Anime's Global Reach The rise of streaming platforms like Crunchyroll, Netflix, and Amazon Prime has revolutionized anime's accessibility. No longer limited to physical media or regional broadcasts, anime is now instantly available to viewers worldwide. This democratization has led to a surge in international fanbases, which in turn fuels demand for more diverse and globally appealing anime content. In 2025, expect streaming services to continue investing heavily in anime, commissioning original productions and securing exclusive rights to popular series. Netflix's collaboration with iconic studios like Studio Ghibli and Kyoto Animation exemplifies this trend. Such partnerships not only boost production quality but also ensure anime stories resonate with a global audience. Moreover, simultaneous releases of new episodes worldwide—known as simulcasts—help reduce piracy and keep fans engaged in real-time discussions online, strengthening the global anime community. Cross-Cultural Collaborations and Global Storytelling Anime is increasingly becoming a collaborative platform where Japanese creators work with international talent. These partnerships broaden the creative horizon and diversify storylines, appealing to a wider demographic. A notable example is the increasing influence of Western writers, artists, and musicians contributing to anime projects. The fusion of Eastern and Western narrative styles results in fresh, genre-blending content. This trend reflects the global nature of modern storytelling, where cultural boundaries blur to produce universally compelling narratives. As we move into 2025, expect to see more projects born from cross-cultural cooperation, expanding anime's thematic and stylistic range. Anime Influences Fashion and Lifestyle Trends Worldwide Anime's visual style and characters have a profound impact on global fashion. From Harajuku streets in Tokyo to Paris fashion weeks, anime-inspired designs are becoming mainstream. Brands collaborate with anime franchises to release limited edition collections, merging streetwear with iconic anime aesthetics. In 2025, the influence of kawaii culture and anime-inspired fashion is expected to grow further. Social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok amplify these trends, where influencers showcase anime-themed looks and cosplay as lifestyle statements rather than mere fan activities. Moreover, anime cafes, themed pop-up stores, and merchandise collaborations in major cities fuel this lifestyle trend, making anime a cultural force beyond the screen. Technological Innovations in Anime Production Advances in technology are reshaping how anime is created. AI-assisted animation tools, virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR) are pushing creative boundaries. AI helps streamline labor-intensive tasks, allowing animators to focus more on artistic storytelling. VR anime experiences, where viewers can immerse themselves in anime worlds, are gaining traction. These immersive narratives elevate audience engagement to new heights. In 2025, expect to see more anime integrating VR and AR, creating interactive experiences that blend traditional storytelling with cutting-edge tech. The Rise of Virtual Influencers and VTubers VTubers—virtual YouTubers—are an extension of anime's cultural influence into digital social spaces. These anime-style avatars, controlled by real people, have exploded in popularity, especially among younger audiences. They blur the lines between anime fandom, content creation, and digital celebrity culture. In 2025, VTubers will continue to grow, supported by improved motion capture technology and expanding into new platforms. Many major companies and studios are backing VTuber talent, signaling their importance in the future of digital entertainment. Diverse and Inclusive Storytelling Anime is embracing diversity more than ever. Stories featuring underrepresented voices, complex female protagonists, and LGBTQ+ characters are gaining prominence. This inclusivity reflects global social progress and broadens anime's appeal. Titles like Given , Yuri!!! on Ice , and Wonder Egg Priority paved the way for more nuanced portrayals of identity and relationships. In 2025, expect this trend to deepen, with studios taking bold creative risks that mirror contemporary social realities. Music and Anime: A Symbiotic Relationship Anime and music industries are intertwined, with anime soundtracks and theme songs often becoming chart-topping hits. J-Pop, Vocaloid, and rock bands frequently collaborate with anime productions. The year 2025 will see further innovations such as live virtual concerts featuring anime characters or VTubers, blending music performance with anime fandom. Collaborations with global pop stars incorporating anime aesthetics are also on the rise, expanding the genre's reach. Anime's Influence on Video Games and Esports Video games inspired by popular anime have a huge international following. The integration of anime art styles and narratives into games creates immersive experiences for fans. Esports tournaments often feature anime-themed games, drawing massive audiences. The crossover between gaming and anime fandom continues to deepen, creating dynamic communities and expanding the cultural influence of anime. In 2025, expect tighter collaborations between game developers and anime studios, creating seamless cross-media storytelling. Conclusion: Anime's Expanding Cultural Footprint Anime's journey from a Japanese subculture to a global pop culture powerhouse is a remarkable story of creative evolution and cultural exchange. In 2025, anime's influence will only grow stronger across entertainment, fashion, technology, and lifestyle. The blending of global talent, technological innovation, and diverse storytelling promises exciting new directions for anime. As fans worldwide engage with anime on more platforms and through innovative formats, the medium will continue to inspire and shape global culture. For anyone looking to understand the future of entertainment and pop culture, watching how anime evolves and spreads its influence is essential. The coming year will be a fascinating chapter in anime's ongoing global revolution.
