Baltimore Japan Art Festival Welcomes Guest Artist Utomaru
Baltimore, MD - Oct 3-6, 2019 – The 3rd annual Baltimore Japan Art Festival (BJAF), an event showcasing contemporary Japanese culture & art, partners once again with the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) to welcome Japanese illustrator/art director Utomaru (Yoko Motoki) as this year's featured guest.
Utomaru is a Tokyo-based artist known for her use of vividly chromatic and Japanese/American pop-culture inspired imagery. Her illustration work includes album covers, music videos, character/fashion design, advertisements, editorial/book illustration and movie posters. She is the art director for the electro-pop duo ORESAMA and a member of THINKR's “POPCONE” creative team. In collaboration with the designer toy creator TOMENOSUKE she has produced a series of soft-vinyl figures based on her character “MIMI the Cannibal”, and since 2018 has worked with Japanese clothing brand KBF to release a series of apparel & accessories.
During BJAF 2019 Utomaru will participate in the opening reception for her solo exhibition “WILD PARTY” at MICA's Julian Allen Gallery (Fri, Oct 4th), engage in a live conversation/Q&A with Baltimore illustrator Alex Fine at MICA's Fred Lazarus IV Center (Sat, Oct 5th), and host a screening of the animated film “Adolescence of Utena” in part with B•A•D (Baltimore Anime Denizens) at The Crown (Sun, Oct 6th).
“The exhibition title Wild Party is derived from the Japanese title of Russ Meyers' Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. I hope audiences can experience a colorful world animated by the many women in my work, just as the film portrays lively women of different personalities,” says Utomaru. The exhibition is open to the public and runs from September 26 through October 22.
The festival kicks off Thursday, October 3rd with “Computer Disco x BJAF”, a Japanese music dance party at The Crown featuring DJ Es & Nick Stropko (Nippon Leagues, NYC). This and all other BJAF events are located in or around Baltimore's Station North Arts District.
More information (including advanced registration) available at www.BaltimoreJapanArtFest.com
ABOUT NIPPON MOTION: Nippon Motion is a Baltimore-based organization specializing in the promotion of Japanese Culture & Arts via public events (film screenings, DJ nights, social gatherings, etc.) and educational workshops. More information can be found at www.NipponMotion.com
Baltimore Japan Art Festival is an annual event showcasing Japanese culture through traditional and contemporary art, film, music and food. The festival aims to provide a platform for Japanese artists and cultural-experts to expand American audiences' perceptions of Japan and propagate interest in Japanese culture.
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