What we’re about…

ANGURA! is a creative resource for people who want to explore the outer perimeter of Japanese art of all forms; a portal for those looking for inspiration to push the boundaries of their own art; a time-bending tool; a forum for discussion; a place for the inquisitive; a spotlight for those that dare; a community that supports Japanese artists on the margins and who will expose their artwork to a North American audience in the form of screenings, exhibits, performances, translations, and happenings of all shapes and sizes.

The term angura (short for “underground”) is used to describe the modern Japanese theatre experiments of the 1960s, exemplified by the subversive performances of Shuji Terayama’s troupe Tenjo Sajiki and the avant-garde poster art by artists like Tadanori Yokoo. It was an era of extreme creative exploration and political chaos: Tatsumi Hijikata developed Ankouku butoh (dance of utter darkness) and the collaboration across the arts was at full force. The creative revolt in post-war Japan connected artists with a similar objective:

They all sought to reaffirm, albiet in diverse ways, an anarchic, erotic, premodern Japanese sensibility…not intended as an atavistic return to some “golden age,” but rather as a means to transcend the modern.

- David G. Goodman, Introduction to his book Angura: Posters of the Japanese Avant-garde

ANGURA! aims to unearth the marginalized and under-exposed Japanese artists that reinvent and experiment, in order to facilitate the understanding of challenging content  and amplify those that should be heard.

The people:

Naomi Hocura - Founder, programmer and event coordinator, main blogger.

Chris MaGee - Film programmer (check out his blog on Japanese film!)

Brandon Hocura - Music programmer

Contact: angura.art[at]gmail.com