Inside The Office of Eri Wakiyama

November 22, 2022

Since moving to the United States from Japan in her early childhood, multidisciplinary artist Eri Wakiyama has crafted a niche reputation among art world heavyweights, Commes des Garçons fans and anime-fanatics alike, with her ethereal, manga-inspired drawings. When she’s not holding court in the streetwear and fashion industry, Wakiyama works on her “crawling drawings,” as she calls them, from her studio apartment on the Lower East Side. In both her installation work in luxury retail spaces and in her practice, Wakiyama blurs the line between art, fantasy and fashion, creating delicate works that fuse surrealism and nostalgia. And with her bright-orange hair, the artist brings that same sentiment to her everyday life.

Text by Anna Zanes
Photo by Jesper Lund
Video by Waylon Bone, edited by Greg Navarro

Through her drawings, Wakiyama explores femininity, depicting cartoonish characters with elfin ears, or bratty teens refusing to take their “good girl pills,” creating her own intoxicating fantasy world that’s attracted collaborators, including 1017 ALYX 9SM, Calvin Klein, Estée Lauder, Heaven by Marc Jacobs, Miu Miu, X-Girl and Supreme.

What is your ideal office?

Cat, sun, beach... IDK. My studio gets cluttered so fast, so I kind of wish I had some more space with nice organization. I would have a day bed for sure, because I need a lot of time to do nothing before I work.

What is the ugliest inanimate object?

Unnatural holes. I get shivers thinking about it. i.e. when there are holes as you're making pancakes. Do you know what I'm talking about?

What percentage of you is a kid, and what percentage of you is an adult?

Kid = 100%, adult= 50%

If people were only allowed to take one thing from your work — and one thing only — what would you want it to be?

Maybe... It might be cool if I wasn't able to draw things how they are. like, I wish if I was drawing an apple, it literally doesn't look like it but people can still get it.

What is the strangest compliment you’ve ever received?

"Are you Avatar?" ...Not sure if it’s a compliment or not, lol.

What planet do you see yourself in the most?

Pluto, the one that isn't a planet anymore :(

What is your greatest achievement?

That I am alive.

What do you want your art to do for people?

Help them, save them, get them out of a deep dark hole, let them know they are not alone.

Where in the world feels the safest to you?

Where there is love. Or sleeping next to my cats.

What object in your studio would you use to kill a burglar?

My fabric sheers. They are scary.

What is the best bite you’ve taken in the last year?

Uni pasta from Dr Clark.

What is the most important item in your closet?

My Comme des Garcons, or all of my wife beater tank tops — because I can’t live without them.

Culture

So Far So Good

April 26, 2024

Nolan Zangas’ first solo book So Far So Good, published by Blurring Books, unveils 160 pages of unreleased personal work spanning the last five years of living in New York City. Growing up running around the city's streets, capturing candid moments on disposable cameras during his youth, Nolan's desire to concretize his memories blossomed into the successful career he has today. This project stands apart his expansive body of work as a diaristic exploration of young adulthood, delving into the intersection of beauty and pain, and navigating "the fine line between success and failure" amidst the perpetual motion of a city like New York, shining a light on people and moments that shape its identity yet are often overlooked.

“In the spirit of La Haine as Vinz describes the man who falls from a skyscraper reassuring himself: ‘So far, so good...so far, so good’ on the way down,” the book serves as a tangible reminder that in life ‘It’s not how you fall that matters. It’s how you land.’”

Ahead of the launch at earshot.nyc tomorrow, we caught up with Nolan over email to talk about his selection process, how he got started taking photos, and why he doesn't post everything on Instagram.

Photography Nolan Zangas

How did you select what made it into the book?
My process is very physical. I hand print my images in a darkroom. I start by making a contact sheet. If I like the images on the contact sheet, I often cut them out and glue them into a notebook. Then I go back and print the images I like. Sometimes im in the darkroom like 30 hours in a week.
How many did you have to sort through?
It’s so hard to say. Easily over 100,000 frames. I made over 1,000 prints and most of them did not make the cut.
A book can act almost like an artifact, in that when you’re picking it up, it exists in that moment — whether that’s the day after it launches or five years from then. Did that come to mind and was there a specific thread you followed to ensure that timelessness?
I think that’s what makes books so important. I collect a lot of books. Images now feel so disposable, and I really like physical things. I think the selection of images are feel timeless, and the layout adds a bit of character to it all.
Not every upbringing is the same and as someone who also grew up in NYC, coming of age here is very different from any other place — at what point in your adolescence did you decide to start documenting your life and the people around you?
I started taking pictures of my friends on disposables around the age of 12. I lost or never picked up any of the negatives and the files are long gone. That really upsets me, and I think that made me want to take a lot more pictures as I got older. Around 18 is when I really started taking pictures of my life and things around me. I wanted to be able to look back at it all one day. I also think I’ve been surrounded with such diverse people. I think everyone deserves to have their picture taken.

How do you know when you’ve found a good picture?
There are a bunch of technical aspects that go into a good picture but I feel like for this project that stuff matters less. If it’s a good moment, and the picture makes me feel like I’m there, it’s a good picture.
The title is self-explanatory in context but I’m curious to know what led you to pick So Far So Good as the book's title.
Pretty early on in the process of making a layout actually. I think one of my friends said “so far so good” in conversation, and I instantly thought about the scene in La Haine where they talk about falling from a building. Then in my head I was like, holy shit thats the name right there”. It’s like, how far can you stretch a rubber band before it snaps. It felt really fitting to that point in my life and the book as a whole. A lot of good and a lot of bad around me.
Creating anything is an act of giving. How do you hope people, and those featured in its pages, receive the book?
I think it’s going to be cool for people who are in it because most of them don’t even know the pictures exist. I haven’t really been sending or showing anyone pictures because then they just end up on Instagram and in my head thats basically the trash can. I think some people won’t get it and others will. I don’t really mind. Everyone grew up doing different things.

It’s like, how far can you stretch a rubber band before it snaps. It felt really fitting to that point in my life and the book as a whole. A lot of good and a lot of bad around me.

Culture

I Only Came For the Parties

Between Rihanna and A$AP Rocky surprise appearance to the open bars, food trucks, and dance floors, the party was wild. As I arrived at the ranch, I was immediately met with a friend of mine running up to me saying, “Pookie and Jett are here. We NEED to party with them.” We began the hunt after stopping by the Passes.com table for some cotton candy. With a wrist full of stacked bands on one arm and a drink in my other, I hurried past Justin and Hailey Bieber before reaching the packed dance floor. It must’ve been close to sunrise when I finally came to and headed for the exit. Walking out, I ran into my friends who told me they just drove in from LA and NYC just for the party. This being my 10th Coachella, I'd probably stay home next year if it weren’t for this party.

Culture

Celebrating Earth Day w/ Nike x office

No Earth Day celebration is complete without action, so here are 10 local NYC-based initiatives you can get involved in to preserve the planet we all share.

Join a community garden: NYC has many community gardens (Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Queens Botanic Garden, The High Line) that offer volunteer opportunities and workshops on sustainable gardening practices.
Volunteer with NYC Parks: The NYC Parks Department offers various volunteer programs, including tree planting, cleanups, and habitat restoration.
Participate in beach cleanups: Organizations like the Surfrider Foundation and the NYC Parks Department organize regular beach cleanups in NYC's coastal areas.
Get involved with local environmental groups: Groups like the Sierra Club, the Nature Conservancy, and the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance offer various volunteer opportunities and campaigns.
Take part in citizen science projects: Organizations like the NYC Audubon Society and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden offer citizen science projects that allow individuals to contribute to environmental research.
Join a local recycling program: NYC's Department of Sanitation offers various recycling programs, including organics collection and textile recycling.
Support local sustainable businesses: Choose to shop at local businesses that prioritize sustainability and environmentally friendly practices. (Here's a great resource for finding them)
Advocate for environmental policy change: Contact local representatives and participate in advocacy campaigns with organizations like the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance.
Participate in park cleanups: Organizations like the Central Park Conservancy and the Prospect Park Alliance offer regular cleanup events.
Join a local environmental activism group: Groups like Extinction Rebellion NYC and the Sunrise Movement NYC offer opportunities for individuals to get involved in environmental activism and advocacy.

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Inside The Office of Eri Wakiyama

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