My Console ships to the Oakland Museum of California.

Several people asked me about this event. I figured it was time to post an article. This originally took place back in early 2014.

When the Oakland Museum of California contacted me I was surprised. The museum was planning a major exhibition, Super Awesome: Art and Giant Robot. This exhibit would be featuring art, toys, interactive games and more. Coinciding with the 20th anniversary of Giant Robot the groundbreaking alternative art and culture magazine.


The museum was looking for a working original Famicom for their exhibit. Luckily I had exactly what they needed. I had recently restored an original 1983 Famicom console. This console had newly installed power caps, voltage regulator, restored Mic and controllers. An absolute perfect Famicom for play & display.

Hand-on gaming center

The museum wanted a hands-on gaming center for visitors and consoles for display. We discussed several methods of  properly installing a 30+ year old console for reliable game play. The gaming center would be part of a much larger exhibit. Artworks in the exhibition represent a range of mediums, including mural art, sculpture, illustration, portraiture, large-scale installations, graphic novels, photography, and more.





In addition, the exhibition will feature Giant Robot magazines and ephemera, vinyl toys, custom vending machines.

Artists include: Ako Castuera, Sean Chao, David Choe, Luke Chueh, Hamburger Eyes, Andrew Hem, James Jean, kozyndan, Masakatsu Sashie, Shizu Saldamando, Rob Sato, Amy Sol, Deth P Sun, and Adrian Tomine








“Woven throughout the exhibition is a sense of how Giant Robot celebrates Asian and Asian American cultural identity with playful irreverence,” says Adams in her curatorial statement. “The voices of the artists highlighted in the show add their own perspective, further complicating the story and enriching the experience.”

Famicom inside a Famicom Car Paradox 

My favorite part of the planned exhibit is the Famicom styled Scion XB. Designed by Giant Robot publisher and editor Eric Nakamura. Columnist and gearhead Len Higa. It sports the old Famicom colors. Each seat has its own NES gamepad, and the car's headlights project the game on any convenient wall. The back holds a Famicom and LCD panel and additional rear projector.

SuperAwesome explores how these artists, their artwork, and the magazine’s community exposed wider audiences to the diversity and complexity of Asian, trans-Pacific cultures and identity, and helped to bring it into mainstream popular culture.

Overall I think this was the coolest exhibit during 2014! I was honored to be a part of this special event.  Watch the videos below for more information.

Watch the Famicom Car!

 

More On SuperAwesome: Art and Giant Robot