Art in Hidden Places

By Mike Oakland

Tokyo can be a tough nut to crack. It's a frequent complaint - there are just so many people that it's easy to give in to a sense of loneliness, a feeling that there must be so much more going on in this city if you could only break down the barriers. There are cool underground shows, art scenes and collectives making a lot of noise out here; but if you don't know the right people, all you can hear is a faint buzz of something that could be. Sometimes it comes down to knowing just one person to blow it all open wide for you. But finding that one informant in a city of 22 million people, all of whom have perfected the art of minding their own to an impenetrable science, can be a mind-numbing exercise.

Luckily there are other gaijin out there whose job it is to pick up the slack for us and bring us information on what's going on and where we can find it. One such gaijin is Vanessa Anthony, "creator, producer and sometimes director," of a new episode-format show called Art in Hidden Places. The goal of the show is to reveal to the masses just what's going on behind the barrier, and maybe bring you one step closer to finding your scene.

Vanessa has a long and prestigious history. Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, she's part southern charm and part new-wave progressivism. She got her start when she pitched the original Art in Hidden Places to an Atlanta based cable TV network. A year later she put in some time with CNN, an impressive feat by any standard. Her winding path eventually brought her to Tokyo where she decided to revive the original format.

Atlanta to Tokyo is a big leap. "When I lived in Atlanta I pretty much wanted to travel, to see other places, and I was totally inspired by Japanese art - manga, fasion, etc.", says the soft-spoken Vanessa. "So I came here as an English teacher, and on the side I attended film events, developed a network and met some really cool people. I did two short films in Tokyo, so I had the opportunity to meet other film-makers and producers, and I just jumped on!"

The Japanese seem to be creating a larger and larger percent of the world's pop culture these days, so it makes sense that the show focuses largely on bands and music, fashion, and mega-hip, underground alterna-art of all varieties. You can catch the premier screening of Art in Hidden Places at the ImaginAsian Theater on March 1st and 3rd, where it will be attached as a feature of the New York Film and Video Festival.

About the show, Vanessa says, "It basically covers all art genres. Each interview is 8 minutes, with 3 interviews per show". The show is still in its infancy, but Vanessa already seems to be on the fast track.

"We want to keep people up to date about modern Japan. It's growing in so many areas, and there are a lot of underground artists here that westerners don't really know about".

If you're one of the gaijin masses who feel hopelessly uninformed about what's going on below the frenzied Tokyo surface, Art in Hidden Places could provide you with the info and inspiration you need.

Drop into the Film and Video Festival to catch the premier screening, then check out Vanessa's website and let her know what you think.

www.moviemadentertainment.com

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