Esm-artificial
Encyclopedia
Kenn Sakurai a.k.a. esm-artificial is a Canadian Pop-culture graphic designer
/artist
and satirist.
, British Columbia
, this Canadian artist/designer graduated from the Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design or ECI ( now known as ECI) in 1999. He has been included in exhibitions in New York
(8½ × 11 at the 55DSL Flagship store), Washington, California
, Illinois
, Vancouver
, Tokyo
, United Kingdom
(Stick 'Em Up), Spain, France
(Surface to Air and Hello Kissy Prints at Colette
) and Sweden
(Postcards from Home). Articles about Sakurai have been featured in Adbusters
, Elle, Grafik,Darling, Edge, Architectural Record, Western Living, Spruce, Studio Voice, Vancouver Sun, and Lola Magazine. His works have been published in Pictoplasma
, The Art of Rebellion, Izastikup, Poison-Control, All You Need Is Sticker Graphics, A Nice Set and 400mL Project France, All Messed Up, Typoshirt 1, Artaq, Stuck-Up Piece of Crap. From Punk Rock to Contemporary Art, Street Art - Contemporary Prints Victoria & Albert Museum
Sakurai's work includes many references to Supermodels, Hockey, cigar smoking, fishing, company artworks, people, and a favored pet dog in his work.
esm-artificial is known to mass-produce and deliver one-of-a-kind silk-screened work that touches upon some of the best and the worst aspects of American and popular world culture that often include supermodels, cars, rock stars, song lyrics, the 80s, and television personalities. Always humorous, poignant and thoughtful, his work also delves into other themes such as heartbreak and high school.
Sakurai fuses text with image and popular culture
to catch the viewer's attention. His work contains notions of questioning commodity, advertising
, and the bombardment of images the public receives daily for movies, music, fashion, and television. Through the hundreds of serigraph images he creates in his studio (on postcard sets, prints
, stickers, etc.) he's fueling the globalization of American culture. And, just as Warhol addressed issues of fame and identity through repeated imagery, while at the same time reducing the subject, he also uses images of celebrity (the Rock, Martha Stewart
, Milla Jovovich
, etc.) to grab us and make us see something deeper than we usually do. In fact, he's so good at poking fun of consumerism
and the media that even the most jaded person must laugh at the ridiculousness.
Graphic designer
A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, printed or electronic media, such as brochures and...
/artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
and satirist.
Biography
Hailing from VancouverVancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, this Canadian artist/designer graduated from the Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design or ECI ( now known as ECI) in 1999. He has been included in exhibitions in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
(8½ × 11 at the 55DSL Flagship store), Washington, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
(Stick 'Em Up), Spain, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
(Surface to Air and Hello Kissy Prints at Colette
Colette
Colette was the surname of the French novelist and performer Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette . She is best known for her novel Gigi, upon which Lerner and Loewe based the stage and film musical comedies of the same title.-Early life and marriage:Colette was born to retired military officer Jules-Joseph...
) and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
(Postcards from Home). Articles about Sakurai have been featured in Adbusters
AdBusters
The Adbusters Media Foundation is a Canadian-based not-for-profit, anti-consumerist, pro-environment organization founded in 1989 by Kalle Lasn and Bill Schmalz in Vancouver, British Columbia...
, Elle, Grafik,Darling, Edge, Architectural Record, Western Living, Spruce, Studio Voice, Vancouver Sun, and Lola Magazine. His works have been published in Pictoplasma
Pictoplasma
Pictoplasma is an organisation dedicated to the art of character design, and are notable for bringing it into the mainstream. Since 1999, they have encouraged the international character design scene by publishing collections of characters, organising character design conferences and by maintaining...
, The Art of Rebellion, Izastikup, Poison-Control, All You Need Is Sticker Graphics, A Nice Set and 400mL Project France, All Messed Up, Typoshirt 1, Artaq, Stuck-Up Piece of Crap. From Punk Rock to Contemporary Art, Street Art - Contemporary Prints Victoria & Albert Museum
Sakurai's work includes many references to Supermodels, Hockey, cigar smoking, fishing, company artworks, people, and a favored pet dog in his work.
Works
Sakurai fuses text with image and popular culture
Popular culture
Popular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...
to catch the viewer's attention. His work contains notions of questioning commodity, advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
, and the bombardment of images the public receives daily for movies, music, fashion, and television. Through the hundreds of serigraph images he creates in his studio (on postcard sets, prints
Printmaking
Printmaking is the process of making artworks by printing, normally on paper. Printmaking normally covers only the process of creating prints with an element of originality, rather than just being a photographic reproduction of a painting. Except in the case of monotyping, the process is capable...
, stickers, etc.) he's fueling the globalization of American culture. And, just as Warhol addressed issues of fame and identity through repeated imagery, while at the same time reducing the subject, he also uses images of celebrity (the Rock, Martha Stewart
Martha Stewart
Martha Stewart is an American business magnate, author, magazine publisher, and television personality. As founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, she has gained success through a variety of business ventures, encompassing publishing, broadcasting, and merchandising...
, Milla Jovovich
Milla Jovovich
Milla Jovovich December 17, 1975)is an American model, actress, musician, and fashion designer. Over her career, she has appeared in a number of science fiction and action-themed films, for which music channel VH1 has referred to her as the "reigning queen of kick-butt".Milla Jovovich began...
, etc.) to grab us and make us see something deeper than we usually do. In fact, he's so good at poking fun of consumerism
Consumerism
Consumerism is a social and economic order that is based on the systematic creation and fostering of a desire to purchase goods and services in ever greater amounts. The term is often associated with criticisms of consumption starting with Thorstein Veblen...
and the media that even the most jaded person must laugh at the ridiculousness.
Related links
- Shepard FaireyShepard FaireyFrank Shepard Fairey is an American contemporary graphic designer, and illustrator who emerged from the skateboarding scene. He first became known for his "André the Giant Has a Posse" sticker campaign, in which he appropriated images from the comedic supermarket tabloid Weekly World News. His...
- Wooster CollectiveWooster CollectiveWooster Collective is a website founded in 2003 that showcases street art from around the world. It is dedicated to showcasing and celebrating ephemeral art placed on streets in cities around the world. Updated by Marc and Sara Schiller, the site also offers podcasting with music and interviews...
- Acamonchi
- Blek le RatBlek le RatBlek le Rat, born Xavier Prou in Boulogne-Billancourt, Paris in 1952, was one of the first graffiti artists in Paris, and has been described as the “Father of Stencil Graffiti” .-Early career and Influence:...
- Faile
External links
- esm-artificial.com
- computerlove interview
- wall of fame project
- LA exhibit
- butter magazine interview
- evil monito interview
- a nice set group exhibition/book
- fashionlines interview
- excerpt article on esm-artificial by deirdre corley
- sketchel
- http://halfempty.com/wp/2004/04/commissioning-street-art-esm-artificial/commissioning-street-art-esm-artificial