Japanese Women's Contemporary Artist Zines, 2005-2011, bulk 2009-2011

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Summary

Abstract:
Collection of 124 zines, all created by young female Japanese artists. These publications represent the entire output of the "Feminine" show - an exhibition of zines curated by Tokyo store Zine's Mate, presented exclusively at the 2011 New York Art Book Fair. This collection reflects an important trend in underground print publishing among young women in Japan, and captures the zeitgeist of an exploding cultural phenomenon.
Extent:
6 boxes
Language:
Languages represented in the collection: English and Japanese as well as a variety of other languages including French , German , Thai to name a few.

Background

Scope and content:

Collection of 124 zines, all created by young female Japanese artists. These publications represent the entire output of the "Feminine" show - an exhibition of zines curated by Tokyo store Zine's Mate, presented exclusively at the 2011 New York Art Book Fair.

These artist publications utilize a wide variety of production techniques - ranging from black-and-white offset to full-color process - in various sizes and formats. A wide range of artist mediums are represented, including illustration, lettering, photography and handcraft. Many zines included are produced in very limited editions of 100 or less. Some zines include an incredible assortment of realia and found objects.

Often written in both English and Japanese, many of the zines reflect a heavy Western influence, with artistic and semantic interpretations of English language. Some feature the use of pejorative words commonly directed at women, evoking similar statements that originated in 1990s American underground Riot Grrrl fanzines. Those zines are often credited with popularizing what has now become known as "third wave feminism," and these Japanese zines could be viewed comparatively to the spirit of the Riot Grrrl movement.

Acquisition information:
Purchased; 2013.
Arrangement:

The collection is arranged alphabetically by artist’s last name and then alphabetically by title of work.

Physical location:
Please consult repository.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Location of this collection:
800 N. Dartmouth Ave.
Claremont, CA 91711, US
Contact:
(909) 607‑3977
specialcollections@claremont.edu
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