Devan Shimoyama USA, b. 1989
Transformation Sequence 1 , 2021
Oil, Colored pencil, glitter, acrylic, rhinestones, and collage on canvas stretched over panel
60 x 96 x 2 overall
152.4 x 243.8 x 5.1 overall
152.4 x 243.8 x 5.1 overall
8252
Transformation Sequence 1 brings together visual elements from manga, a style of comic art that originated in Japan, to express ideas about physical metamorphosis, psychological transmutation, and identity shifts. Though...
Transformation Sequence 1 brings together visual elements from manga, a style of comic art that originated in Japan, to express ideas about physical metamorphosis, psychological transmutation, and identity shifts.
Though the tradition extends back nearly a century, and is based on even older Japanese artistic forms, manga gained global popularity in the 1980s and 90s with such series as Sailor Moon and the live action TV series Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers. The plots of both series revolve around characters who obtain the power to radically transform their appearance and abilities in order to battle the forces of evil—Sailor Moon by way of a magical brooch, and the Power Rangers through the use of mysterious, individualized “morphin’ calls.”
Shimoyama is interested in multiple aspects of this narrative device. One is the standard use of an outfit change to accompany and signify a character’s shift to an alternate identity. Another is the way that manga artists use multiple panels to isolate key, frozen moments during the transmutation of the character’s identity, indicating that the transformation exists outside of time, with time slowing down or speeding up during the metamorphosis.
Transformation Sequence 1 shows us two characters, both of whom are transforming. The figure on the right is Shimoyama. In the lower panel he turns to face the viewer, a glance indicating the transformation has begun. The two hands in the middle show the transformation in progress: one hand has dissolved into a pure colorfield. In the top image the eyes have become sparkles. Finally, the entire figure metamorphosizes into a glowing, glittery, entity with a multiplying aurora. The figure on the left could be an antagonist, or a member of the team, or perhaps a bystander, we don’t know. Their hair, skin, lips and eyes are also however starting to transform as they turn to look at the figure on the right. Behind their face are the words “kira kira,” an onomatopoetic Japanese phrase meaning something sparkling or twinkling.
Says Shimoyama, “These paintings stem out of the other work I’ve done, especially my recent show in Erlangen, Germany, which explored radical healing, meditation, and reiki, while also looking towards pseudosciences, astrology, tarot, and various other things that have helped me transform in terms of understanding myself.”
Though the tradition extends back nearly a century, and is based on even older Japanese artistic forms, manga gained global popularity in the 1980s and 90s with such series as Sailor Moon and the live action TV series Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers. The plots of both series revolve around characters who obtain the power to radically transform their appearance and abilities in order to battle the forces of evil—Sailor Moon by way of a magical brooch, and the Power Rangers through the use of mysterious, individualized “morphin’ calls.”
Shimoyama is interested in multiple aspects of this narrative device. One is the standard use of an outfit change to accompany and signify a character’s shift to an alternate identity. Another is the way that manga artists use multiple panels to isolate key, frozen moments during the transmutation of the character’s identity, indicating that the transformation exists outside of time, with time slowing down or speeding up during the metamorphosis.
Transformation Sequence 1 shows us two characters, both of whom are transforming. The figure on the right is Shimoyama. In the lower panel he turns to face the viewer, a glance indicating the transformation has begun. The two hands in the middle show the transformation in progress: one hand has dissolved into a pure colorfield. In the top image the eyes have become sparkles. Finally, the entire figure metamorphosizes into a glowing, glittery, entity with a multiplying aurora. The figure on the left could be an antagonist, or a member of the team, or perhaps a bystander, we don’t know. Their hair, skin, lips and eyes are also however starting to transform as they turn to look at the figure on the right. Behind their face are the words “kira kira,” an onomatopoetic Japanese phrase meaning something sparkling or twinkling.
Says Shimoyama, “These paintings stem out of the other work I’ve done, especially my recent show in Erlangen, Germany, which explored radical healing, meditation, and reiki, while also looking towards pseudosciences, astrology, tarot, and various other things that have helped me transform in terms of understanding myself.”