Saturday, January 23, 2010

Zombuki Invades Super 7 Florida Show TONIGHT!

Zombuki Invades S7 Florida

The Zombuki pop up shop is tonight at Super7Florida, featuring the works of artist Brigitte Coovert. The opening night reception will begin at 7 p.m. with complimentary snacks and beverages provided. The exhibit will remain at the store through February 6th, and all sale items will be made available for sale both in store and online at the Super7 Florida.

Zombuki Invades S7 Florida

Excepts of an interview with Brigitte by Scott of S7 Florida:

Q: First, I have to ask you what exactly is a Zombuki, and more importantly, should we all be afraid?

B: "Zombuki" is what I call my customized dolls, they started out as Pullips, Blythe, and Dal (all types of Japanese fashion dolls), but now include urban vinyl and kokeshi dolls as well. The name "Zombuki" comes from a hybrid of the words "zombie" and "kabuki" - the name definitely lets you know what you're in for. Oh, and they're benevolent figures, I assure you.

Zombuki Invades S7 Florida

Zombuki Invades S7 Florida

Q: One of my favorite bits of literature is the short story The Birthmark by Nathaniel Hawthorne, which tells the tale of a man obsessed with his wife's tiniest of imperfections only to lose her in the process of removing her flaws. Barbie dolls have been perceived by many as a symbol of our society's obsession with an ideal, in what ways are Zombuki dolls different or the same?

B: The dolls given to young girls (Barbie, baby dolls, Bratz, etc) are "aspiration figures." Read symbolically they show little girls options for what they "should be" within the confines of acceptable society. I find them somewhere between fairly harmless and destructive, depending on my mood, but a lot of people don't fit into those standards, nor do they need to. The Zombuki are ... inside out in a way, the kind of quirky beauty that unique people have, extremely exaggerated, and then made external. People can identify with them on the same very personal level as more conventional looking dolls because of this.


Zombuki Invades S7 Florida

Zombuki Invades S7 Florida

Zombuki Invades S7 Florida

Q: What is a kokeshi doll, and what makes them special?

B: Kokeshi are traditional Japanese wooden dolls with a head proportionally larger than the body (like the Japanese fashion dolls I work with) and which conventionally don't have any arms or legs. I find them wonderfully charming, something in between artisan craft and urban vinyl figure (except they're made of wood). Imagine my joy when wooden urban vinyl started being produced recently, I could have jumped for joy!

Q: There is definitely a strong Japanese influence in many facets of your work. Are there any particular Japanese artists or art-forms that you pay particular attention to?

B: I love the work of Yoshitomo Nara and Junko Mizuno, but the list of artists that I love is pretty international. I love all folk/fairy tales and Japanese ones are no exception, the Crane Wife is one
Japanese fairy tale which inspired a specific doll (Idyll). Japanese fashion, both traditional and modern, as well as traditional toys (like kokeshi and daruma), and festivals are probably my main pull.


Check out the entire interview here

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