Roger Shimomura, artist

http://www.ljworld.com/section/shimomura/

This guy's stuff is amazing. Deals a lot with his Asian heritage and the stereotypes that come with it. Real interesting dude, too.

"Return of the Yellow Peril" Series. What Japan had taken over the world. These are portraits of his friends in neighbors with traditional Japanese garb.

Self Portrait

http://etc.lawrence.com/galleries/images/shimomura4/lores/SelfPortrait1990.jpg'>

Marty Olsen

http://etc.lawrence.com/galleries/images/shimomura4/lores/MartyOlsen1992.jpg'>

William Burroughs: "The famous writer William Burroughs, as most of you know, spent his last 17 years living in Lawrence, Kansas, and actually didn't live too far from me. Not too long after he moved to Lawrence, friends of his invited him over to my house for dinner. I always remember opening the door and William Burroughs standing there in his three-piece suit with his famous sort of gangster hat and a cane that we all knew was a gun. And he came inside the house and looked around and saw my cat and immediately fell to his knees and started talking cat gibberish to the cat, rolling around."

http://etc.lawrence.com/galleries/images/shimomura4/lores/WilliamBurroughs1991.jpg'>

"A Jap's a Jap" Series. Stereotypical WWII Japanese charicatures and American popular culture

Jap's a Jap #1

http://etc.lawrence.com/galleries/images/shimomura6/lores/12000.jpg'>

Jap's a Jap #2

http://etc.lawrence.com/galleries/images/shimomura6/lores/22000.jpg'>

Jap's a Jap #6

http://etc.lawrence.com/galleries/images/shimomura6/lores/62000.jpg'>

Jap's a Jap #5

http://etc.lawrence.com/galleries/images/shimomura6/lores/52000.jpg'>

"An American Diary" Series. Pop art mixed with memories of growing up asian during WWII.

December 25, 1941: "Christmas in the time of war. We spent time at home quietly as all of the family joyfully got together. For this we were all thankful. We had a pleasant Christmas, with Roger as the center of attention."

http://etc.lawrence.com/galleries/images/shimomura1/lores/411225.jpg'>

April 21, 1942

http://etc.lawrence.com/galleries/images/shimomura1/lores/420421.jpg'>

May 16, 1942

http://etc.lawrence.com/galleries/images/shimomura1/lores/May161942.jpg'>

December 7, 1942

http://etc.lawrence.com/galleries/images/shimomura1/lores/Dec.71942.jpg'>

October 16, 1942: Japanese internment camp

http://etc.lawrence.com/galleries/images/shimomura1/lores/Oct.161942.jpg'>

"Stereotypes and Admonitions" Series

Abercrombie & Fitch: After instructing all stores to remove the T-shirts, a spokesman for Abercrombie & Fitch said that the company felt that the shirts would be especially loved by the Asian American community and would be seen as cheeky, irreverent and funny. He said that he was surprised by the hostile reception the merchandise received.

http://etc.lawrence.com/galleries/images/shimomura7/lores/abercrombie_fitch.jpg'>

Ghettopoly: Twenty-eight year old David Chang, the Taiwanese American creator of Ghettopoly, a board game modeled after Monopoly, encountered complaints from both African-American and Asian-American communities, who called the game racist and demeaning.

http://etc.lawrence.com/galleries/images/shimomura7/lores/ghettopoly.jpg'>

No Speakee English: The repairman, in a raised voice, repeated his reasons why the pipes froze, whereupon Roger repeated his reasons why the windows were left open. The repairman, now highly agitated, asked Roger who he was. Roger explained he was a faculty member in the Art Department and that the room next door was the studio the University provided him with to do his artwork. The repairman asked to see Roger's studio, looked in all of the rooms, then stormed out. The next morning, Roger was notified through the Chancellor's Office of an official report, filed by a worker from Buildings & Grounds, stating there was a Vietnamese student living illegally in a university building.

http://etc.lawrence.com/galleries/images/shimomura7/lores/no_speakee_english.jpg'>

No Thanks: In March, 1942, as incarceration of over 120,000 Japanese Americans into concentration camps began, the Chancellor at the University of Kansas expressed his support for acceptance of college-aged Japanese Americans into the University. In early April, 1942, the Kansas Board of Regents vetoed the Chancellor's decision, ruling that the University would not accept any Japanese American students.

http://etc.lawrence.com/galleries/images/shimomura7/lores/no_thanks.jpg'>

Back to the West Coast

http://etc.lawrence.com/galleries/images/shimomura7/lores/back_to_the_west_coast.jpg'>

Oriental Masterpiece: About a Kansas farmer who questioned his ethnicity.

Oriental Masterpiece #3

http://etc.lawrence.com/galleries/images/shimomura2/lores/31973.jpg'>

Oriental Masterpiece #9

http://etc.lawrence.com/galleries/images/shimomura2/lores/91973.jpg'>

Oriental Masterpiece #13

http://etc.lawrence.com/galleries/images/shimomura2/lores/131974.jpg'>

There are plenty more on the website and more if you search online. Check out his other stuff…

dope artwork...i love traditional japanese art.

i dont really dig it... some of his later stuff is cool...

but ol boy needs to kinda get over himself.

seems like a one dimensional asian