31 Flavors Invading Japan/French Vanilla IV

Teraoka is known for mimicking the style and subject matter of the ukiyo-e woodblock prints, most commonly associated with the artists Hiroshige and Hokusai, but imbuing it with ironic commentary. In this image, a figure dressed in Japanese garb is grabbing napkins from a dispenser while simultaneously holding an ice cream cone. Both of these objects are distinctly American—the napkin dispenser in particular recalling roadside diners or fast food restaurants—but they are depicted in the same flat manner of the more traditionally Japanese elements. This assimilation provokes two different interpretations: on one hand, a critique of the imposition of Western culture on the East after World War II; and on the other, a commentary on the long history of the West’s commodification of Japanese culture, from Japonisme to anime and beyond. (“Imprint/ In Print,” curated by Nancy E. Green with assistance from Christian Waibel ’17 and presented at the Johnson Museum August 8 – December 20, 2015)