Asian Comics at the Bowers Museum
/One of my favorite works in the show was this kaavad, a portable storytelling DEVICE, used in this case not to tell mythological stories, but to teach micro-finance to poor women so they can get a loan to buy a cow. It was created by Satranarayan suthar and mangilal mistri (2017, India)
The weekend of March 8th, I had the pleasure of seeing Paul Gravett’s amazing Asian Comics: Evolution of an Art Form at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, CA (through Sept 8, 2024). This is the first US venue for this show, which is produced and circulated by the Barbican (London). Asian Comics is a sprawling exhibit encompassing 8 major thematic categories including mapping & formats, literary themes, colonialism & war, storytelling, censorship, creative process, and media adaptations. It includes many helpful videos and fun interactive elements. The show has an extensive reference book written by Paul that serves as the catalog: Mangasia: The Definitive Guide to Asian Comics. Here’s an ABC 7 story with a video: https://abc7.com/videoClip/asian-comics-bowers-museum-manga-anime/14617890/?
It was great to meet Paul after years of long-distance bonding over exhibits and our love of obscure exhibit history. I was able to attend not only the opening event, but a docent training tour, and Paul’s curator talk for museum members.
In my book, Comic Art in Museums, there’s a photo of the 1976 exhibit “The Cartoon Show: Collection of Jerome K. Muller” at the Bowers. Muller was a local collector and comic store owner who assembled 100 key pieces from his collection into a very professional exhibit that toured several mid-size museums around the US between 1972-1979. The catalog cover featured Jack Kirby’s Forever People, and the member invitation to the opening featured a local celebrity, Mickey Mouse. We were able to get some additional information from the museum’s archive, and I was thrilled that Paul added a bit of this museum history to his presentation to the members.
The Cartoon Show: Collection of Jerome K. Muller (1976)
Asian Comics exhibit photos from docent training tour 3/7/2024
During the weekend of the opening, we sadly acknowledged the passing of a giant of manga just a few days before, Akira Toriyama, creator of Akira and Dragonball.
From the Bowers website: “Never-before-seen at a museum and making its American debut, Asian Comics: Evolution of an Art Form presents the largest ever selection of original artworks from Asian comics, displayed alongside their printed, mass-produced forms. This exhibition is a vivid journey through the art of comics and visual storytelling across Asia. From its historical roots to the most recent digital innovations, the exhibition looks to popular Japanese manga and beyond, highlighting key creators, characters, and publications. Explore thriving contemporary comics cultures and traditional graphic narrative artforms from places including:
Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, North Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Tibet, and Vietnam.
Visitors to Asian Comics will dive into a kaleidoscope of diverse stories, from fantastical folklore, pivotal historical moments, revealing memoirs, and challenging expressions of freedom. Discover acclaimed and influential creators from Osamu Tezuka, Zao Dao, Morel, Hur Young Man, and Lat, to genre innovators and under-represented artists including Abhishek Singh and Miki Yamamoto. See how their work has influenced cinema, animation, fashion, visual art, music, and videogames, and get creative in the accompanying makerspace that’s fun for all ages.
Curated by Paul Gravett with a team of more than twenty international advisors, Asian Comics features over 400 works — the largest selection of artworks from the continent — including Japanese woodblock prints, Hindu scroll paintings, digital media, printed comics, and contemporary illustrations. This unique exhibition makes its North American debut at Bowers Museum and offers a gateway to an unexplored world of graphic storytelling and its artistic value.”
