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Welcome to The SPECIAL ASIAN Edition of BUREAU of ARTS and CULTURE MAGAZINE. We are very excited to invite our Asian friends and Countries to The BUREAU Arts Scene. This Edition includes Photographic Essays by Japan's Master Photographer: T. Enami. From Beijing, China : The Contemporary Art of Yin Xiuzhen, From Korea :The Paintings of Ho Ryan Lee and Photographs by Bohnchang Koo, From Hawaii : Art by Masami Teraoka, Levitations by Natsumi Hayashi, New Mixed Media by Xuan Chen, Sculpture by Jacob Hashimoto, Guest Artist: Katsushika Hokusai, ICON Essay: Akira Kurosawa, Chinese New Years Events across America. We are proud to announce our Newest Media Partners: Asia Art Fair New York and Prints from The Asian Art Museum in San Francisco U.S.A. Magnum Photographer Raymond Depardon Takes You Inside the Anti War Rally of 1968. Bureau Film: A Beautiful Country, Bureau Books: Forbidden City USA, Plus links to our Community Sites in Seven Different Cities, Each Celebrating a Different Language with Translation Options on Our Previous Features in Bureau Editions including: Japanese at The LA site / Chinese at The San Francisco Site / Korean at the New York Site / Vietnamese at The San Diego Site / Philipino at The Santa Barbara Site / Bengali at the Seattle Site / Thai at The Midwest Site. All This and more. Most Articles, Links, Pages, Logos and Web addresses are Live Internet Connections. Go on line, Tap the links now ...
শিল্প ও সংস্কৃতি ম্যাগাজিন ব্যুরো বিশেষ এশিয়ান সংস্করণ স্বাগতম. আমরা ব্যুরো শিল্পকলা দৃশ্য আমাদের বন্ধু এশিয়ান এবং দেশ আমন্ত্রণ খুব উত্তেজিত হয়. টি Enami: এই সংস্করণ জাপান এর মাস্টার ফটোগ্রাফার দ্বারা আলোকচিত্র অজয় অন্তর্ভুক্ত. বেইজিং, চীন থেকে: কোরিয়া থেকে ইন Xiuzhen এর সমসাময়িক আর্ট, Bohnchang Koo দ্বারা হো রায়ান লি চিত্রাংকন ও ফটোগ্রাফ, হাওয়াই থেকে: Natsumi Hayashi, Xuan Chen দ্বারা নতুন মিশ্র মাধ্যম, জ্যাকব দ্বারা ভাস্কর্য দ্বারা Masami Teraoka, Levitations দ্বারা কলা Hashimoto, অতিথি শিল্পী: Katsushika Hokusai, আইকন রচনা: আকিরা কুরোসাওয়া, আমেরিকা জুড়ে চীনা নতুন বছরের ঘটনা. আমরা ঘোষণা গর্বিত আমাদের মিডিয়া পার্টনার নতুন: সান ফ্রান্সিসকো মার্কিন বিরাট আলোকচিত্রী রেমন্ড Depardon এশিয়ান আর্ট মিউজিয়ামের থেকে এশিয়া কলা পরিষ্কার নিউ ইয়র্ক এবং ছাপে 1968 ব্যুরো ফিল্ম বিরোধী যুদ্ধ সমাবেশ ভিতরে প্রদর্শিত: একটি সুন্দর দেশ, ব্যুরো বই: নিষিদ্ধ নগরী মার্কিন যুক্তরাষ্ট্র, প্লাস সাত বিভিন্ন শহরে আমাদের কমিউনিটি সাইট থেকে লিংক, প্রতিটি সহ ব্যুরো এডিশন আমাদের পূর্ববর্তী বৈশিষ্ট্য অনুবাদ বিকল্প সঙ্গে একটি ভিন্ন ভাষা উদযাপন: লা সাইট এ জাপানি / সান ফ্রান্সিসকো সাইট / কোরিয়ান চীনা নিউ ইয়র্ক এ মিডওয়েস্ট সাইট এ সিয়াটেল সাইট / থাই এ সান্তা বারবারা সাইট / বাংলা সান দিয়েগো সাইট / Philipino এ ভিয়েতনামী সাইট /. এই সব এবং আরো. সর্বাধিক প্রবন্ধ, লিংক, পেজ, লোগো এবং ওয়েব ঠিকানা লাইভ ইন্টারনেট সংযোগ আছে. লাইন, যান এখন সংযোগগুলি ট্যাপ
RENE BURRI / Magnum Pictures Akira KUROSAWA and Martin SCORSESE Cannes, FRANCE 1990
BUREAU ICON ESSAY: AKIRA KUROSAWA
Akira Kurosawa is a great contribution to The Asian World and indeed he is a National Treasure to Japan. To Us in The West, he is a teacher, a scholar, a storyteller, a raconteur, a moralist with a much wider view point than the average. Ultimately Kurosawa is a Filmmaker of the rarest variety, lastly, he is an Artist. Today, We Honor Akira Kurosawa.
A kira Kurosawa is the youngest child of a large family, third generation from the Edokko. He is exposed to film early on by an older brother and eventually finds his way to filmmaking by assisting and script writing. His meticulous nature and perfectionist qualities concerning accuracy are exemplary. Eventually his adaptions of early literature and his knowledge of Art expand the ideas of a what a film actually is. Kurosawa garners attention with innovative techniques, pushes the limits on former traditional ideas of right and wrong and after ten films that were mostly seen in Japan, he has a creative breakthrough. Kurosawa's Adaption of several short stories by Ryunosuke Akutagawa in 1950 for the film entitled, "Rashomon," received The Grand Prix at The Venice Film Festival and led to American distribution through RKO. the film went on to win both the National Board of Review prize and Academy recognition for the Best Foreign Film in Hollywood.
At the time, Art Films were usually recognized more from countries such as France, Sweden or England. The fact that a Japanese film had make an international sensation and actually made money in large metropolitan cites such as New York was historical. Film reviews in the New York Times, the Saturday Review and the Christian Science Monitor were complimentary. Reviews in The New Yorker and the Times London were perplexing, as we look back at these negative reviews, some sixty-five years later, they seem tainted by a prejudice that has haunted the Asian culture since time immemorial. You may notice that this publication has no time, need or desire to TELL the reader what is good or bad. If it is in the publication, you may assume it is good, if it is not in the publication, you may assume whatever you like. Rashomon went on to great heights of conjecture and recognition and to this day is compared to great films that have transcended both time and trends. "Rashomon" could be compared to Orson Welles' great Classic, "Citizen Kane," in that regard. The success of international recognition brings scrutiny and even envy within the inner circles of a great artist and without a doubt, the surprising popularity of Rashomon, did just that. Kurosawa follows it up with an early literature favorite from Dostoevsky. He eventually creates the masterpiece, "Seven Samurai," which inspires another popular filmmaker to adapt it into, "The Magnificent Seven." Later, more such adaptations of Kurosawa films, both loose & exacting will create films like, "Star Wars."
Martin Scorsese, George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola, Steven Spielberg and Paul Schrader are just a few of the internationally known American filmmakers who owe a great debt to the legacy of the man they call, Akira Kurosawa. One of the important aspects of Kurosawa and his influence on cinema is both his pre-war and post-war activity in filmmaking. He is assisting and in training throughout the period before World War Two. Kurosawa becomes a director in 1943, though his responsibilities as an assistant in previous productions had prepared him entirely. All throughout the War, Akira Kurosawa makes films that are influenced by what he sees and feels, but also by many of his Western influences such as writers like Georges Simenon. Kurosawa is blatantly honest about his many influences which include: D. W. Griffith, Ed McBain, Dostoevsky, Shakespeare and the frailty of mankind itself. Years after the war, Kurosawa openly discusses his acknowledgment of, "War Time filmmaking and National Code policies," that both hindered and influenced his ability to make the films he had intended to create. His complete and utter honesty regarding his past works is unheard of elsewhere. This quality of truth, which shows deeply in his work, is certainly one of the many reasons why Kurosawa is important.
A must read book for any persons wishing to understand the films of Akira Kurosawa is the comprehensive manual, "The Films of Akira Kurosawa," by author Donald Ritchie, "Something of An Auto Biography," by Kurosawa himself and of course the many books written about each film, the scripts and stories they are based on, and to view the films themselves. I also believe that comparative film viewings are a great way to understand the relationships that we as artists, filmmakers and storytellers have with one another. If you watch, "The Hidden Fortress," as a double feature with, "Star Wars," or "The Seven Samurai," with "The Magnificent Seven," you may learn something of the interrelated quality which the arts provide this world. The unification of the human experience itself, on an international level, depends highly on the arts. The films of Akira Kurosawa plays a key role in the international discussion and dissertation on our relations as people of the world. Another keen and important aspect to Akira Kurosawa's contribution to film itself is his deep knowledge and curiosity regarding philosophy, literature and the visual arts. As Kurosawa's popularity rises, he is more and more, able to make the type of film that he originally intended to create. In "High and Low," a detective story based on a book by Ed McBane, Kurosawa's positioning of characters in relation to their body language is so artistically defined and designed that it raises filmmaking to the level of high art. The single frame pictures in this production, especially the interior shots with four or more characters are simply masterpiece art paintings, fine art prints or highly developed photographs by a complete and utter artist of the highest order. Further, the images relate directly to story, emotion, narrative interpretation and culminate into what a film must be to succeed: Entertainment as well as Education. Kurosawa goes onto create a series of films that have created a legacy of outstanding cinema that have aligned themselves with his own country, with Asian history and traditions as well as the concerns of humanity as a whole. An artist will create works that reflect their personal interests, views and concerns as well as experience. At the same time, there are collective experiences that relate to one's nation, one's place in the world and one's very existence. The Akira Kurosawa catalogue is steeped in each afore mentioned example. His later works, such as, "Ran," and "Dreams," are a testament to humanity, history and proof that, Akira Kurosawa, from the first film to the last, set a great example and raised the bar of excellence as well as imagination. I do not pretend to be a specialist in Asian studies. I do not assume I know anything more than you do about Oriental culture. I do not profess to have the answers to the deeper questions that great art provides. I do know that the work of Akira Kurosawa has educated my knowledge, his films have informed my curiosity, his ideas have answered many of the deeper philosophical questions. And so, today, we honor the great Artist Akira Kurosawa in this BUREAU Icon Essay .
By Joshua A. TRILIEGI for BUREAU of ARTS and CULTURE Magazine International
MEDIA SPONSOR IN THIS EDITION: THE ASIAN ART FAIR NY 2015
IN THE GALLERY NEW MEXICO USA : XUAN CHEN
THE RICHARD LEVY GALLERY 514 Central Ave. S W Albuquerque, NM 87102
HO RYON LEE
BUREAU MAGAZINE PROFILE
The Paintings are well crafted. The Subject matter is Seductive, Flirtatious, Sexy. The Artist is young, Korean and on his way to becoming a a very Fine Artist with a following. He is represented in Germany, continuing his education in England and is walking the line between photography and painting in an innovative style. Motion plays a key role, filtered often, though not exclusively, through a soft focus lens. The progression of Mr Lee's style and trajectory is consistent with slight and mature developments in technique that have indeed grabbed the attention of a collectors eye and a curiosity for what the next series will look like.At times, The Painter is simply taking a peak at the wonderful world of women and at other times, he is twinkling a gleam in the viewers eye and dangling an idea of sexuality that is infused with light, fabric, flesh and movement. Mr Lee is treading into an interesting psychological area with these paintings. Because Lee has an understanding of photography and a solid eye for how light actually lands on a subject, these paintings and the series currently on his site are really only the beginning of what looks to be a curiously & sexually infused journey into art. These are mind scape snap shots of a budding sexuality that has its roots in the early psychological writings of Carl Jung or Sigmund Freud. At first glance, it would appear that his fan base would be mostly men, but upon closer study, we noticed how many women had re posted his images, which tells us at the magazine that Ho Ryan LEE is grabbing attention not just from the fellas, but from his subjects themselves. Not often the case when bordering this type of feminine territory. Mr Lee's youth plays a big factor here and with the art world needing a younger audience, he may just be one of the new attractions to ensure that New Art is appreciated by younger audiences from all walks of life. One particularly effective aspect of the paintings is the double and triple snapshot style that creates the motion, the other is the framing of the subject, the third is what he leaves out. Wether he knows it or not, this creates a little piece of mystery adding a whole other level of innocence and freshness that is exhilarating to the viewer. Reminiscences of bygone days for the elders and possibly a peak at the future for those still learning about love, life and longing. We eagerly await his next series & look forward to the development of his form. Meanwhile, Here is a sneak peak at the original paintings by Mr. Ho Ryan Lee.
By BUREAU of ARTS and CULTURE Editor Joshua TRILIEGI
BUREAU OF ARTS AND CULTURE COMMUNITY SITES
SAN FRANCISCO http://BUREAUofARTSandCULTUREsf.blogspot.com
NEW YORK CITY http://BUREAUofARTSandCULTUREny.blogspot.com
SANTA BARBARA http://BUREAUofARTSandCULTURESantaBarbara.blogspot.com
LITERARY SITE http://TheyCallItTheCityofANGELS.blogspot.com
THE BUREAU PHOTOGRAPHIC ESSAY
NOBUKUNI ENAMI
Nobukuni Enami, also known as T. Enami was born in 1859 in Japan. His photographs cover both The Meiji and Taisho Eras with a wide variety of styles, subjects and techniques, including The Stereo View, The Portraits, The Landscapes and everyday street documentation. He studied with master photographers Kimbei Kusakabe & K. Ogawa. Enami's work displays a deep love for people, culture and tradition. He is an Honored Alumni of National Geographic Magazine and one of the premier photographers to contribute images that were published in The West. Unfortunately, many of his works are devalued due to the overexposure of various formats, many sold through Sears & Roebuck. The fact of the matter is these images are fine art of the highest order.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PHOTOGRAPHER VISIT: www.t-enami.org
KATSUSHIKA HOKUSAI:
The Legendary Maker of Images
Joshua TRILIEGI for BUREAU of ARTS & CULTURE Magazine Worldwide
Art, Music, Literature, Theatre, Film, Design, Architecture, Photography and the other Arts discussed in this publication are regularly viewed through the subjectivity of the reader. Such is the nature of the world. Religion, Politics and Nationalism are ideologies that often shape or attempt to influence our subjective outlook. Here at The BUREAU of Arts and Culture, we ask that you reconsider those viewpoints and allow for a new frame of mind, based on a larger, broader and more liberated idea of living. Today, we look at the Art of Katsushika Hokusai as an example of subjective vs. objective views and how those ideas evolve through the years.
Katsushika Hokusai was born in 1760 in Edo, Japan, today's modern day Tokyo. For the sake of expanding the panorama of this article, lets imagine that, if Hokusai had been born in the United States or France or Russia or China or Spain or Africa or Indonesia or the Middle East, he would still be an Artist who had created a body of artwork that, after his death, remains a great legacy. To this day Hokusai's work is incredible, influential and independent of any idea of a place of birth, a national viewpoint, a religious or moral or political stance. Unfortunately, in today's world, each artist, each image, each idea is filtered through a viewpoint of segregation, national affiliation, religious attachment, moral judgment and often a skewed and or hypocritical interpretation, based steeply in the realm of mind control. But great art escapes this trap. Literature, Art, Film, Music, Photography and even the design world of Architecture, can indeed rise so far above the mundane world of everyday values that it transcends into a world far beyond. Many of the works of The Artist known as Katsushika Hokusai do exactly that: Influence and Inspire everyone. Hokusai was a true Artist, a Seeker, a Traveller, a man dedicated to the interpretation of life in images. As is the ancient tradition of artists of and before his time, attachment to any one name is a hinderance to creation, Hokusai was only one of the man's identities, he held over thirty names and lived in over ninety locations before his death. They called him, "The Painter of Water," and no doubt, because of his erotic images, they most likely called him much more than that, some critically, others in praise.
" The Hokusai View on
The Power of Nature,
The Power of Sexuality,
The Power of Survival is
Immense, even Staggering."
Hokusai was born at a very important time on the planet and his connections to world events and schools of thought in not only art, but also music and fashion have become legendary. Most likely, he was adopted, either abandoned at birth, a bastard child or born into a family that could not afford a child. To be born in 1760, anywhere in the world, meant that ones life would be the participant of a wild and transformative nature. The founding of America, the opening of Japan's relationship with The West, the revolutions in Europe, the scientific discoveries and new developments of technology, art and philosophy are unbounded. Hokusai was also, simply, a man of the people. Many of his most famous artworks were created for the everyday, working class citizen to enjoy and to own. Although this is indeed an Arts publication, it is not my job to tell you, the reader, what you like, what you dislike, what is good, what is bad, what is mundane, what is fabulous, you already know all that: or so you assume. The work of Hokusai and any great artwork, is meant to transform your assumptions. The Hokusai view on the power of nature, the power of sexuality, the power of survival is immense, even staggering. The Hokusai catalogue of art may assault your ideas of morality and at the same time, challenge your views on the permanence of your very existence. Either way, his respect for nature, his ability to express a larger idea through a simple image and his lasting impression on the arts is immeasurable. The Hokusai art prints that eventually travelled to Europe influenced Vincent Van Gogh, Edward Manet and even inspired a major work of classical music by Claude Debussy.
At seventy years of age, due to circumstances beyond his control, Katsushika Hokusai reenters the World of Art. Hokusai creates a new body of work unlike his former works and yet somehow connected to the previous style. Arguably, his most famous work, that we know of, "Thirty - Six Views from Mount Fuji," and specifically, the singular image from this series, which measures ten inches by fifteen inches, entitled, "The Great Wave Off Kanagawa," is his most impressive and influential. It has become the subject of documentary films, lectures, cultural praise and even multiple interpretations through the decades. Originally, he created the work for everyday Japanese citizens to own and enjoy. During it's original introduction into society, the cost of a print compared to that of a simple meal. What started as a relatively obscure & nominal series of artworks has since elevated to the highest level possible, ever. The image, which represents the awesome power of planet earth and mother nature itself, in the form of a giant wave exerting its domination over its temporary inhabitance, says something about existence. Hokusai's Great Wave image through the decades has been among other things, obscure, popular, celebrated, banned, feared and exploited. How could that be ? The image never changed, it remained the same and yet, through the years, the ideas surrounding the image did change. Society changed, and so, the ideas relating to this image through the years were reinterpreted based on the values being espoused. This brings us back to the introductory idea regarding subjectivity vs. objectivity and the false ideas that group thinking can provide for, regarding individuals, originality & some might argue, lifestyle choices and freedoms or lack thereof, not only in todays world, but yesterday's and tomorrow's.
" Hokusai's Great Wave Image,
Through the Decades has been,
Among other things, Obscure,
Popular, Celebrated, Banned, Feared
And Exploited. How could that be ?"
That a simple image could not only withstand scrutiny, exploitation and celebration and remain popular through the ages is a testament to the spirit of the artist and art itself as possibly the last bastion of freedom in a world which increasingly rewards conformity. The dangers of a society or group of people that seek to control the activities of its fellow citizens are clearly displayed in previous times and places through history. Extreme examples such as fascism and religious crusades continue to haunt humanity with obvious desecrations and destructive periods in history that led to the holocaust, slavery, wars and rivalries that, to this day, have yet to be amended. All because of an idea being projected onto an object or a lifestyle or even onto you, the reader, the human being. The Floating World period in Japan was a very sensual and pleasure seeking period in Japan's history. After decades of inner struggle and informal civil wars over territory and in fighting between various factions of samurai, each with a different leader, a unification period ensued. These changes effected the lifestyle of everyday citizens, of samurai class and of life itself. Travel, culture and codes shifted and so to the basic ideas of art and fashion and economy. Katsushika Hokusai's artworks varied in style & subject. Because Hokusai worked under various identities and worked primarily in the woodblock form of art, many of his life works no longer exist and others, to this day, are rediscovered.
Several years after Hokusai's death in 1849, Japan reluctantly opened its borders to trade with The West. This entire period is open to interpretation as history often is. In any event, Japan and America became trading partners and many Americans and Europeans with a cultural curiosity visited, honored, collected and respected the culture of Japan, which included: Buddhist practice, Cultural ideas, Music, Art and those indescribable aspects of a society which retains so much beauty, discipline and originality. 140 years after the original printing of Hokusai's master works were created, a bevy of original art woodblocks were discovered in the Bigelow Collection of The Boston Museum. Through a mutual cultural respect and exchange, the wood blocks were returned to Japan for a reprinting process that was arduous. The Adachi Institute in Tokyo painstakingly recreated the original works and so: The story continues between The West and The East. But lets back up a few decades, to another time. During World War II, the image of, "The Great Wave Off Kanagawa," was completely reinterpreted again. It was now seen through the eyes of the great propaganda machine on both sides. The Japanese leadership, at the time, brought the image back into popularity as a power position against any foe. And in turn, The West began to use the image as a case against a powerful nation who had temporarily aligned itself with enemies of our own. All the while, the little ten inch by fifteen inch work of art, created with newly found prussian blue ink, had simply been minding it's own business, while its creator, long after death, watched from wherever we roam after existence.
"140 years after the original printing of
Hokusai's master works were created,
A bevy of original art woodblocks were
Discovered in the Bigelow Collection
of The Boston Museum."
This is how images are interpreted through the ages and this is indeed the danger of a short term view of Art and of life itself. Katsushika Hokusai and his Artworks are often discussed divisively and otherwise. Seldom is Hokusai's most outrageous and erotic work included in any theoretical conversations for fear of who knows what ? In our own interviews with artists and conversations through analyzation of art and art history at The BUREAU of ARTS and CULTURE Magazine, we have attempted to be inclusive of artists works, their ideas, in a non censored fashion and no doubt, we pay the price, whatever that price may be. At times, that price includes exclusion from more conservative affiliations, false moral judgements against the publication, less opportunity for advancement and exposure and ultimately it includes a lack of commercial and or financial support. The BUREAU of ARTS and CULTURE, by it's very name has a responsibility to provide an open and honest viewpoint on any culture with which we are able to share views on the World of Art and Culture. We have reached out to 100's of Art Institutes inviting inclusion and opportunity of a wide variety, specifically for this particular Asian Edition and are always surprised at how closed and controlled each may or may not be towards an open relation. It appears that, like any group as far and wide and as varied as ASIA and its affiliated countries and cultures, unification is indeed still a lacking aspect of our relations. Writing from The West and specifically from Los Angeles, I take the chance of sounding naive. Maybe we actually need more naiveté in our relations with one another.
Has history jaded our future relations ? Is nationalism once again creeping into our subjective viewpoints as they have so many times in the past ? Is politics and decision making by our leaders and so-called representatives creating a system of exclusion when one of mutual trust and respect is sorely needed ? In other words, are YOU part of the problem ? Are you projecting your subjective view onto another human being based on your own ideas ? The Final Question : Are you The Wave in the painting by Hokusai or are you The Passenger in the boat ? The Final Answer : You are both The Wave and The Passenger. This publication, nor its readers, nor the world at large, nor any one way of living, nor any nationality is without a wave or a passenger. We are all equal. We are all human beings. We will all be taken by the wave eventually. That is the ultimate message stated here. So then, what do we do with our time before that wave crashes ? The people of every populist, well beyond leadership, government and the rewards of conformity have much work to do in reaching out to one another. The Individual person, the Individual Act of beauty, the Individual work of Art will always outshine, outlast and ultimately outlive all the giant waves to come. Subjective viewpoints aside, Art is still the great bridge of humanity.
"The Individual Person,
The Individual Act of Beauty,
The Individual Work of Art
Will Always Outshine, Outlast & Ultimately
Outlive All The Giant Waves to Come."
We speak different languages, but when we look at a work of art, we simply see the ART. Think about what you see, when you see it and how you see it. If you see a specific race, color, language, nationality, moral idea or religious code every time you see something, there is a good chance that you may need to rethink the way you are seeing. After all, Artworks of the highest order eclipse nationality, they transcend time, they suspend ideas of space, they leap over boundaries of religion, morality and politics, they enter into the realm of another world that go on to inspire artists through the ages of any race, any color, any age or place. There will always be a group of people at the lowest level of vibration, who will attempt to censor, attempt to interpret, attempt to 'own' and control ideas on this planet, such is life. Katsushika Hokusai and his artworks will always outshine the dullards, outclass the fools and overshadow the mundane. Hokusai is a man of the world, he belongs to everyone, everywhere and yet he remains, independent. As it now states on his gravestone, "Even after Death, The Soul Walks in a Summer Field," just exactly where that Summer field exists, no man can say, nor should they even try, but they can wonder.
By Joshua A. TRILIEGI / BUREAU of ARTS + CULTURE
INSIDE THE GALLERY: BOHNCHANG KOO
J H B GALLERY 26 GROVE STREET SUITE 4C NY NY 10014 P 212 255 9286 F 212 229 8998
Today's Levitation 5/23/2011 Natsumi Hayashi archival inkjet print
THE RICHARD LEVY GALLERY 514 Central Ave. S W Albuquerque, NM 87102
The BUREAU PHOTO ESSAY: Raymond Depardon
Photo image : Raymond Depardon Courtesy of Magnum Agency
THE CHICAGO ANTI -WAR PROTEST OF 1968
In 1968, during the televised Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois, thousands of Americans concerned about The Vietnam War decided to send a message to their government. They marched into Chicago, took the parks, took the streets, took the city and started a very real and active revolution that eventually created an entirely new and effective American movement. As we salute Asian Americans and Asian Culture around the world in this edition of the BUREAU of Arts and Culture magazine, we must also salute those who fought so hard against an unjust war that to this day, is simply unexplainable as to why we did such a thing. The most unpopular war in America's history divided the country and slaughtered, damaged and broke one of the most beautiful, spirited and free thinking generations we ever created. Not to mention what it did to Vietnam. American soldiers played a dear price for their service and we love them for what they had to do. We also love the Vietnamese overseas and here at home. War never stops. After World War Two, we headed into Korea. Many people don't really know what that was about either. The history of these continents being divided by power brokers and Imperial ideas goes way back to long ago. After Vietnam, we headed into Cambodia. History is repeating in The Middle East. War is a money maker for someone, it just isn't making any money for you or for me. This protest in Chicago was highly televised. At it's peak, hundreds of young Americans were beaten by baton wielding police officers while cameras from around the world photographed and filmed it. The protestors repeatedly chanted, "The World is Watching …" and the convention was conveniently interrupted and upstaged by a healthy peace rally leading to the famous trial of Abbie Hoffman, Tom Hayden, Bobby Seale and five other organizers, known as The Chicago Eight. The defendants made a mockery of the judge & the system as a whole. Unfortunately, the war lasted an unheard of twenty year period and ended forty years ago this year. What happened to healthy anti war protest movements ? Perhaps we are busy opposing one another ?
Photo image : Raymond Depardon Courtesy of Magnum Agency
BUREAU FILM : THE BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY
Directed by Hans Petter Molland Starring Damien Nguyen Written by Sabina Murray
Reviewed by Joshua A. TRILIEGI / Reprinted From The BUREAU Of ARTS AND CULTURE Archives
The Beautiful Country is a heartbreaking journey which helps any American born stateside to understand fully the difficulty in being born elsewhere, but having ones heart set on America and the dream it holds for so many. Half American, half Vietnamese, our lead character leaves his native country to find his American born father by birth. Hated by the locals, un-accepted by his mother' s family and friends. He takes a leap into the abyss of the unknown world. From small town to boat, from concentration camp to ship and on into a story of struggle, pain, not belonging, outsider status and the search for the father ultimately becomes the search for self. With little brother in tow and a fist full of foreign bills, he leads us into a luckless trip full of sweet & sour sorrow. Befriending other American dreamers along the way: a dissident, an attractive young lady, a sick old man, fellow refugees who have sold themselves to get on over. None of these friendships make the trip any easier. Prostitution, resistance, political oppression & the search for that ever elusive American dream embroil into a game of dangerous proportions with death at every turn. Humans trapped on a chess board of heroic sacrifice and humble beginnings. A beautiful and touching film with excellent writing and directing, very well produced and career making performances by newcomers as well as stalwart pros. Tim Roth is the captain of the ship and the incomparable Nick Nolte is the father, an ex GI living on a farm in Texas. Survival, death and opportunity all mix into a volatile cocktail of moral values versus the market place of human trafficking. With allusions to death camps of both post and pre war eras, and the promise that, "You' ll all get rich in America," our characters are trapped in a carrot dangling process of hunger for both food and a better life elsewhere: A life in America.
"A heartbreaking journey which helps any American born stateside
to understand fully the difficulty in being born elsewhere, but having
ones heart set on America and the dream it holds for so many."
Another brave production by Ed Pressman, Terence Malick and San Nazarian, who put up the funds. A return to the kind of films that Americans were known to produce in the heyday of classic 1970s and again in the 1990s period of real film making. All too often, cartoons, machines and digital effects have taken center stage over story, acting and simply great film making. The Beautiful Country is a return to the kind of film making that made the entire world look to Hollywood with love, respect & honor. A sorrowful film with heartbreaking proportions. A sort of love letter to the after effects of war, peace, exodus and the price paid to not only make it in America, but the price paid to actually get here. Fellow inmates play a game of who can mention the most American icons in a tandem roulette — like fashion : Clint Eastwood, Mickey Mouse, NFL, etc ... The basic subjects that we as Americans take for granted, others do not. America is indeed ' The Beautiful Country ,' but a whole lotta ugly can sure be dished out by those wishing to dangle carrots, abuse their power & use immigrants as tools, objects and or devices for their own personal gain. With nothing more than a photograph, an address and a name, our hero, heart in hand, finds a way to survive the journey, help others along the way and somehow retain integrity & self respect in a world full of deceit, dishonesty and destitute situations . He loses family, gains friends and ultimately finds his father. In a particularly heroic effort he challenges the ships bullying drug dealer who leads the games which pit passenger against passenger. Putting a stop to the games by ultimately out quoting him with a list of American icons that include : The Miami Dolphins, George Washington, Huntington Beach, Minnesota and the 10 Freeway, A touching scene which employs humor, pathos and sadness with a punch to the gut for anyone with a heart. Finally after several deaths, detours and degradations, our hero does indeed make it over. Only to find out that any Vietnamese with an American father is allowed to fly into America free of charge. All in all our hero retains that sweet human trait we know as 'Grace'. The final chapter between he and his father, is elliptical, touching and open.
MASAMI TERAOKA
INSIDE THE GALLERY SAN FRANCISCO
Masami Teraoka was born in 1936 in Onomichi, Hiroshima-ken, Japan. He graduated in 1959 with a B. A. in aesthetics from Kwansei Gakuin University, and continued his education to receive a B.F.A. and an M.F.A. from Otis Art Institue in Los Angeles in 1968. Integrating reality with fantasy, humor with commentary, and history with the present became his working challenge. His early paintings are often focused on the clash of his two cultures- East and West. Producing large-scale narrative works addressing social and political issues. His recent large- scale paintings are inspired by Renaissance paintings but continue the narrative quality of Japanese woodblock prints.
Teraoka has been the subject of more than 70 solo exhibitions, many of which have traveled extensively, including those organized by the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1980, The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu in 1988, and the Yale University Art Gallery in 1998. In 1996 he was featured in a solo exhibition at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution and in 1997 at the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco. His work can also be seen in more than 50 public collections worldwide, including the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco; the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C., the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Tate Modern in London, the Queensland Art Gallery in Australia, and the Gallery of Modern Art in Scotland. Teraoka has exhibited with Catherine Clark Gallery since 1998.
CATHERINE CLARK GALLERY
S.F. : 248 UTAH Street San Francisco CA 94103 USA
N.Y : 313 14 Street 2F New York NY [ By Appointment ]
www.cclarkgallery.com
INSIDE THE GALLERY N Y C : JACOB HASHIMOTO
MARY BOONE GALLERY 541 West 24 Street NY NY 212-752-2929
BUREAU OF ARTS AND CULTURE : THE SURFING PHOTO ESSAYS
INSIDE THE MUSEUMS OF AMERICA: THE BAY AREA JAPANESE PRINT EXHIBITION :
Courtesy of and Copyrights Reserved By © Asian Art Museum, San Francisco.
PRINTERS EYE: UKIYO-E FROM THE GRABHORN COLLECTION
On Exhibition Februay 20 - May 10, 2015
THE ASIAN ART MUSEUM
200 Larkin Street San Francisco CA 94102
www.AsianArt.org
芸術と文化誌のBUREAUの特別アジアのアート編へようこそ。私たちは、BUREAU芸術シーンに私たちのアジアの友人や国を招待するのは非常に興奮している。このエディションには、日本のマスター写真家氏T.エナミによる写真エッセイが含まれています。北京、中国：殷Xiuzhenの現代アート.Bohnchangクーによるホーライアン·リーの絵画と写真:韓国から。
ハワイから：寺岡政美によるアート。なつみ林Levitations。玄チェンによる新メディアの混在。ジェイコブ橋本による彫刻。ゲストアーティスト：葛飾北斎。映画エッセイ：黒澤明。アメリカ全土中国の正月イベント. アジアアートフェアニューヨーク：私たちは、当社の最新のメディアパートナーを発表することを誇りに思っています。美しい国：サンフランシスコUSAマグナム写真家レイモン·ドゥパルドンでアジア美術館からのプリントは1968局フィルムのアンチ戦争ラリーの中に表示されます。ビューロー本：市USAを紫禁城。プラス、7つの異なる都市で私たちのコミュニティサイトへのリンク。局のエディションで私たちの前の機能に翻訳オプションで別の言語を祝う各サイト。以下を含む：日本のLAサイトに/中西部サイトでシアトルサイト/タイでのサンタバーバラサイト/ベンガル語でのサンディエゴサイト/フィリピン人でベトナムニューヨークサイト/アットサンフランシスコサイト/韓国語で中国人。すべての本以上。ほとんどの記事は、リンク、ページ、ロゴ、Webアドレスはライブのインターネット接続です。 、ライン上に行くようになりましリンクをタップすると...
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欢迎来到艺术局和文化杂志的特别亚洲艺术版。我们非常高兴地邀请我们的亚洲朋友和国家主席团艺术场景。此版本包括摄影散文由日本摄影大师江波T.先生。中国，北京：尹修真的当代艺术。 韩国：何李瑞安由Bohnchang辜的绘画和照片。夏威夷：艺术由雅美寺冈。磁悬浮由夏海林。新的混合媒体由禤陈。雕塑由雅各布太郎。游客的艺术家：葛饰北斋。电影随笔：黑泽明。中国新年活动横跨美国。 我们很自豪地宣布我们最新的媒体合作伙伴：亚洲艺术博览会纽约。从亚洲艺术博物馆在旧金山美国玛格南摄影师雷蒙德·德巴东打印带您里面的反战集会的1968年电影局：一个美丽的国家。局书籍：故宫USA。加上七个不同城市的联系，以我们的社区网站。每个站点庆祝不同的语言翻译与期权有关我们以前的特点在局版本。其中包括：日本在洛杉矶现场/中国在旧金山网站/韩在纽约网站/越南在圣迭戈网站/ Philipino在圣巴巴拉网站/孟加拉在西雅图网站/泰国在中西部网站。所有这些甚至更多.大多数文章,链接,页面,标志和网页地址是互联网连接.去行,点击链接现在...
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예술 국 문화 저널의 특별 아시아 아트 에디션에 오신 것을 환영합니다. 우리는 BUREAU 예술 장면에 우리의 아시아 친구와 나라를 초대 매우 기쁘게 생각합니다.이 책은 일본의 마스터 작가 씨 T. 에나 미하여 사진 에세이를 포함한다.베이징, 중국 : 음 Xiuzhen의 현대 미술. 구본창에 의한 호 라이언 리 회화 및 사진 : 한국에서.하와이에서 : 마사미 테라 오카에 의해 예술. 나츠미 하야시로 부상. 법사 첸 신규 혼합 미디어. 야곱 하시모토으로 조각. 고객 아티스트 : 가쓰 시카 호쿠사이. 영화 에세이 : 구로사와 아키라. 미국 전역 중국어 연말 이벤트. 아시아 아트 페어 뉴욕 : 우리는 우리의 최신 미디어 파트너를 발표 할 것을 자랑스럽게 생각합니다.아름다운 나라 : 샌프란시스코 미국 매그넘 작가 레이몬드 드 파르 동에있는 아시아 미술관에서 인쇄는 1968 년 국 영화의 안티 전쟁 랠리 내부로 이동합니다. 국 도서 : 도시 미국을 금지.플러스 일곱 다른 도시에있는 우리의 커뮤니티 사이트에 대한 링크. 국 판에있는 우리의 이전 기능에 번역 옵션과 다른 언어를 축하하는 각 사이트.포함 : 일본어 LA 사이트에서 / 중서부 사이트에서 시애틀 사이트 / 타이어에서 산타 바바라 사이트 / 벵골어에서 샌디에고 사이트 / 필리핀에서 베트남어 뉴욕 사이트 /에서 샌프란시스코 사이트 / 한국어에서 중국어. 모든 이것과 더 많은. 대부분의 기사, 링크, 페이지, 로고 및 웹 주소가 라이브 인터넷 연결입니다. 라인에 가서 지금의 링크를 눌러 ...
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শিল্প ও সংস্কৃতি ম্যাগাজিন ব্যুরো বিশেষ এশিয়ান সংস্করণ স্বাগতম. আমরা ব্যুরো শিল্পকলা দৃশ্য আমাদের বন্ধু এশিয়ান এবং দেশ আমন্ত্রণ খুব উত্তেজিত হয়. টি Enami: এই সংস্করণ জাপান এর মাস্টার ফটোগ্রাফার দ্বারা আলোকচিত্র অজয় অন্তর্ভুক্ত. বেইজিং, চীন থেকে: কোরিয়া থেকে ইন Xiuzhen এর সমসাময়িক আর্ট, Bohnchang Koo দ্বারা হো রায়ান লি চিত্রাংকন ও ফটোগ্রাফ, হাওয়াই থেকে: Natsumi Hayashi, Xuan Chen দ্বারা নতুন মিশ্র মাধ্যম, জ্যাকব দ্বারা ভাস্কর্য দ্বারা Masami Teraoka, Levitations দ্বারা কলা Hashimoto, অতিথি শিল্পী: Katsushika Hokusai, আইকন রচনা: আকিরা কুরোসাওয়া, আমেরিকা জুড়ে চীনা নতুন বছরের ঘটনা. আমরা ঘোষণা গর্বিত আমাদের মিডিয়া পার্টনার নতুন: সান ফ্রান্সিসকো মার্কিন বিরাট আলোকচিত্রী রেমন্ড Depardon এশিয়ান আর্ট মিউজিয়ামের থেকে এশিয়া কলা পরিষ্কার নিউ ইয়র্ক এবং ছাপে 1968 ব্যুরো ফিল্ম বিরোধী যুদ্ধ সমাবেশ ভিতরে প্রদর্শিত: একটি সুন্দর দেশ, ব্যুরো বই: নিষিদ্ধ নগরী মার্কিন যুক্তরাষ্ট্র, প্লাস সাত বিভিন্ন শহরে আমাদের কমিউনিটি সাইট থেকে লিংক, প্রতিটি সহ ব্যুরো এডিশন আমাদের পূর্ববর্তী বৈশিষ্ট্য অনুবাদ বিকল্প সঙ্গে একটি ভিন্ন ভাষা উদযাপন: লা সাইট এ জাপানি / সান ফ্রান্সিসকো সাইট / কোরিয়ান চীনা নিউ ইয়র্ক এ মিডওয়েস্ট সাইট এ সিয়াটেল সাইট / থাই এ সান্তা বারবারা সাইট / বাংলা সান দিয়েগো সাইট / Philipino এ ভিয়েতনামী সাইট /. এই সব এবং আরো. সর্বাধিক প্রবন্ধ, লিংক, পেজ, লোগো এবং ওয়েব ঠিকানা লাইভ ইন্টারনেট সংযোগ আছে. লাইন, যান এখন সংযোগগুলি ট্যাপ ...
مرحبا بكم في SPECIAL ASIAN الطبعة من BUREAU للثقافة والفنون MAGAZINE. نحن متحمسون جدا لدعوة أصدقائنا والدول الآسيوية إلى المشهد BUREAU الفنون. وتتضمن هذه الطبعة مقالات الفوتوغرافية من اليابان الماجستير المصور: T. Enami. من بكين، الصين: الفن المعاصر يين شيو تشن، من كوريا: لوحات من هو ريان لي والتصوير من قبل Bohnchang كو، من هاواي: الفن عن طريق ماسامي TERAOKA، الإرتفاعات التي كتبها ناتسومي هاياشي، وسائط متعددة جديد من شوان تشن، النحت التي كتبها يعقوب هاشيموتو، زائر الفنان: كاتسوشيكا هوكوساي، ICON مقال: أكيرا كوروساوا، الصينية السنة الجديدة الأحداث في جميع أنحاء أمريكا. نحن فخورون بأن نعلن لدينا أحدث وسائل الإعلام الشركاء: آسيا معرض الفن نيويورك والمطبوعات من متحف الفن الآسيوي في سان فرانسيسكو الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية ماغنوم المصور ريمون Depardon يأخذك داخل التجمع الحرب المضادة لل1968. مكتب الفيلم: جميل البلد، مكتب كتب: المدينة المحرمة الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية، بالإضافة إلى روابط لمواقع جماعتنا في سبع مدن مختلفة، كل يحتفلون لغة مختلفة مع خيارات الترجمة على لدينا ميزات السابقة في طبعات المكتب بما في ذلك: اليابانية في الموقع LA / الصينية في سان فرانسيسكو الموقع / الكورية في نيويورك الموقع / الفيتنامية في سان دييغو الموقع / الفيليبنية في سانتا باربرا الموقع / البنغالية في سياتل الموقع / التايلاندية في الغرب الأوسط والموقع. كل هذا وأكثر من ذلك. معظم المقالات، وصلات، الصفحات، شعارات وعناوين الويب واتصالات إنترنت لايف. الذهاب على الخط، اضغط على الروابط الآن ...
INTERVIEW: BUREAU OF ARTS AND CULTURE MAGAZINE EDITOR and Lead Feature Writer Joshua Triliegi discusses a recent Fiction Project entitled, " They Call It The City of ANGELS "
Discuss the process of writing your recent fiction project, " They Call It The City of Angels ."
Joshua Triliegi: I had lived through the riots of 1992, actually had a home not far from the epicenter and experienced the event first hand, I noticed how the riot was being perceived by those outside our community, people began to call me from around the world, my friends in Paris, my relatives in the mid west, childhood pals, school mates, etc… Each person had a different take on why and what was happening, I still have those recordings, this was back in the day of home message recorders with cassettes. So, after 20 years, I began to re listen to the voices and felt like something was missing in the dialogue. Some of my friends and fellow theater contemporaries such as Anna Deveare Smith and Roger Guenvere Smith had been making bold statements in relation to the riots with their own works and I realized that there was a version of original origin inside of me. I felt the need to represent the community in detail, but with the event in the background. Because, I can tell you from first hand experience that when these events happen, people are still people, and they deal with these types of historical emergencies differently based on their own culture, their own codes, their own needs and everyday happenstances.
You published each chapter on a daily basis, explain how and why.
Joshua Triliegi: I had been editing The BUREAU of Arts and Culture Magazine
for a few years, we printed thousands of magazines that were widely distributed throughout Los Angeles and San Francisco and had created an on-line readership. The part of me that had dabbled in fiction through the years with screenplays and short stories had been ignored for those few years. On the one hand, it was simply a challenge to create a novel without notes, improvising on a daily basis, on the other hand, it gave the project a freedom and an urgency that had some connection with the philosophy of Jack Kerouac and his Spontaneous Prose theories. One thing it did, was forced me, as a creator, to make the decisions quickly and it also, at the time, created a daily on line readership, at least with our core readers, that to this day has strengthened our community sites and followers on line. Season One was a series of introductions to each character. Season Two, which happened the following year, was a completely different experience all together.
Describe Season Two of They Call It The City of Angels and those challenges.
Joshua Triliegi: Well first of all, the opening line of Season One is, " Los Angeles is a funny place to live, but those laughing were usually from out of town, " That opener immediately set up an insiders viewpoint that expresses a certain struggle and angst as well as an outsider — looking — in — perception that may be skewed. In introducing characters throughout season one, I was simply creating a cast of characters that I knew somehow would be important to set the tone surrounding the riots of 1992 in Los Angeles. With Season Two, and an entire year of gestation, which was extremely helpful, even if it was entirely on a subconscious level, I had a very real responsibility to be true to my characters and each persons culture. I had chosen an extremely diverse group of people, but had not actually mentioned their nationality, or color in Season One. By the time season Two rolled around, I found it impossible not to mention their differences and went several steps further to actually define those differences and describe how each character was effected by the perception of the events in their life. This is a novel that happens to take place before, during and after the riot. The characters themselves all have lives that are so complete and full and challenged, as real life actually is, that the riot as a backdrop is entirely secondary to the story. I was surprised at how much backstory there actually was. I also think my background in theater, gave me a sense of character development that really kicked my characters lives into extreme detail and gave them a fully realized life.
How do you go about creating a character ?
Joshua Triliegi: Well, there is usually a combination of very real respect and curiosity involved. Sometimes, I may have seen that person somewhere in the world and something about them attracted my attention in some way. In the case of They Call It The City of Angels, I knew the people of Los Angeles had all been hurt badly by the riots of 1992, because I am one of those people and it hurt. One minute we were relating between cultures, colors, incomes, the next we were pitted up against one another because some people in power had gotten away with a clear injustice. So with season two, I personally had to delve deeper into each persons life and present a fully realized set of circumstances that would pay off the reader, in terms of entertainment and at the same time be true to the code of each character. Once they were fully realized, the characters themselves would do things that surprised me and that is when something really interesting began to happen.
Could you tell us a bit more about the characters and give us some examples of how they would surprise you as a writer ?
Joshua Triliegi: Well, Jordan, who is an African American bus driver and happens to be a Muslim, began to find himself in extremely humorous situations where he is somehow judged by events and circumstances beyond his control. I thought that was interesting because the average person most likely perceives the people of that particular faith as very serious. Jordan has a girlfriend who is not Muslim and when he is confronted by temptation, he is equally as human as any of my readers and so, he gets himself into situations that complicate his experience and a certain amount of folly ensues. Fred, who is an asian shop owner and a Buddhist, has overcome a series of tragedies, yet has somehow retained his dignity with a stoicism that is practically heroic. At one point, in the middle of a living nightmare, he simply goes golfing, alone and gets a hole in one. Junior, who is a Mexican American young man recently released from prison really drives the story as much of his backstory connects us to Fred and his tragedies as well as legal decisions such as the one that caused the city to erupt as it does in the riot.
You talk a lot about Responsibility to Character, what do you mean and how do you conduct research ?
Joshua Triliegi: Well, if I make a decision that a character is a Muslim or Asian or Mexican or what have you, if I want the respect of my readers and of those who may actually be Muslim, Asian or Mexican, it behooves me to learn something about that character. As a middle aged man who lives in Los Angeles and has done an extensive amount of travel throughout my life, there is a certain amount of familiarity with certain people. But for instance, with Fred, I watched films on the history of the Korean War and had already respected the Korean Community
here in Los Angeles for standing up for themselves the way they did. I witnessed full on attacks and gun fights between some of the toughest gangsters in LA and I think even they gained respect for this community in that regard. Fred is simply one of those shop owners, he is a very humble and unassuming man, in season two, he finds himself entering a whole new life and for me as a writer, that is very gratifying and to be totally honest, writing for Fred was the most bitter sweet experience ever. Here is a man who has lost a daughter, a wife, a business partner and he is about to lose all he has, his shop. Regarding Junior and Jordan, I grew up with these guys, I have met them again and again, on buses, in neighborhoods at school. Jordan has a resilience and a casual humor that has been passed down from generations, a survival skill that includes an ironic outlook at life. He also has that accidental Buster Keaton sort of ability to walk through traffic and come out unscathed. Junior on the other hand is a real heavy, like any number of classic characters in familiar cinema history confronted with the challenges of poverty and tragedy. He is the character that paid the biggest price and in return, we feel that experience. There is a certain amount of mystery and even a pent up sexuality and sometimes a violence that erupts due to his circumstances. In season two, within a single episode, Junior takes his father, who is a busboy at a cafe and repositions him as the Don or boss of their original ranch in Mexico.
There seems to be a lot of religion in They Call it the City of Angels, how did that occur and do you attend church or prescribe to any particular faith ?
Joshua Triliegi: I never intended for there to be so much religion in this book. But, if you know Los Angeles like I do, you will realize how important faith is to a good many people and particularly to the characters I chose to represent. With Jordan being Muslim, it allowed me to delve into the challenges a person might have pertaining to that particular faith. Fred's life is so full of tragedy that even a devout buddhist would have trouble accepting and letting go of the events that occur in his life. Junior found god in prison as many people do, upon his release back into the real world, he is forced to make decisions which challenge that belief system and sometimes go against his faith, at the same time, he finds himself physically closer to real life events and objects of religious historical significance than the average believer which brings us into a heightened reality and raises questions in a new way. As for my own belief system, I dabble in a series of exercises and rituals that spring from a wide variety of faiths and practices.
You discussed Jordan, Fred and Junior. Tell us about Cliff and Charles and Chuck.
Joshua Triliegi: I don't really believe in secondary characters, but in writing fiction, certain characters simply emerge more pronounced than others. As this project was a daily serial for the magazine, I did try my best to keep a balance, giving each character a fully realized set of circumstances and history. That said, some characters were related to another through family, incident or history and later, I felt compelled to know more about them and see how they would emerge.
Charles is one of those legendary rock and roll guys who was on tour with music royalty and simply disappeared. He's the missing father we all hear about and wonder what would happen if he were to suddenly return into our lives ? His son Mickey, his wife Maggie, his daughter Cally have all gone on with their lives, when Jordan, accidentally runs him over while driving his bus, Charles returns home and a new chapter in their lives begins again.
Chuck is a cop who just happened to marry Juniors sister and they have several daughters. When Junior returns from prison, he and Chuck clash simply because of their careers and history. I felt it was important to include authority in this story and once I decided to represent a police officer, I wanted him to be as fully realized and interesting as any other character, though, clearly Junior drives much of this section of the novel and Chuck is simply another person that complicates Juniors arrival. I should also explain that the arrival of Junior from years in prison is really the beginning of events that lead up to the basic thrust of the story and somehow almost everyone in the novel has a backstory that connects in some way.
Cliff is absolutely one of my all time favorites. He is a mentally challenged boy whose father happens to be the judge on the case that develops into the unjust legal decision and eventually the actual 1992 riots. I have always felt that challenged individuals deserve much more than the marginalized lifestyles that we as a contemporary society provide. Many ancient societies have relegated what we dismiss as something very special. Cliff is challenged, but also happens to be a very intuitively gifted human being whose drawings portend actual future events. Even though his parents are extremely pragmatic, they are forced to consider his gifts. Cliff is a young upper middle class white boy who is entirely obsessed with the late great comedian Richard Pryor and at very inopportune times, Cliff will perform entire Richard Pryor comedic routines, including much of the original risqué language. Cliff is an innocent who pushes the societal mores to the edge. I have found through fiction the ability to discuss, develop and delve into ideas that no other medium provided me. And as you may know, I am a painter, film maker, photographer, sculptor, designer, who also edits a magazine reviewing art, film and culture.
As a man, do you find it challenging to write female characters ?
Joshua Triliegi: To some extent, yes. That said, I have spent a good many years with women and have had very close relationships with the female gender, both personally and professionally, so on average, I would say that I am not a total buffoon. In They Call It City of Angels, Jordan's girlfriend Wanda and his mom both appeared and bloomed as fully realized characters that I really enjoyed writing for. Cliffs mother Dora is also a very strong female character that I am very proud to have created. Season two presented a special challenge with dialogue between characters that was new territory for me. I have written screenplays in the past, sometimes with collaborators, once with my brother and more recently with my nephew and in Angels, I found it, for the first time, very easy to imagine the conversations and action in a way that was totally new to my process. I would most likely credit that to my own relationships and possibly to the several recent years of interviewing and writing for the magazine in general.
When will we see another season of They Call It The City of Angels ?
Joshua Triliegi: We have set a tradition of it being the Summer Fiction Project at the Magazine and since August is a relatively slow month for advertising and cultural events, we will most likely see a Season Three in the summer of 2015. As you may know, I do not take any written notes at all prior to the day that I actually write the chapter, so the characters simply develop on a subconscious level and then during the one month or two week process, I pretty much do nothing at all, but ponder their existence, day to day. This can sometimes be nerve racking as I do plot things out in my head and sometimes even make extreme mental notes, though even then some ideas simply don't make it on the page. During Season Two, I omitted a section of a chapter and later revealed another chapter into a different sequence of events, but besides that it has been a rather straight ahead chapter a day experience that simply pushed me to invent, develop and complete the work of fiction that might have otherwise never existed or possibly taken much more time. I am curious to see how my next project will develop.
What is your next project ?
Joshua Triliegi: I am working on a couple of things of historic importance. Though I can't say much about them. One is an actual event that I have been given permission to portray by the actual estate and I don't know yet if it will be an ' Inspired by … ' type of Novel or if it will be creative Non Fiction. The other is a fiction piece I have been developing for sometime now. After that I have a sort of family opus that is probably the most researched project I have ever undergone. I have been writing consciously since I was fourteen, stories, journals, poetry, lyrics, screenplays, but as far as fiction goes, They Call It The City of Angels is probably my first successful project with a major readership and I am very thankful that it happened. Better late than never.
