|
Sideshow Gallery
15
"Takeshi Yamada's
Museum
of
World
Wonders:
Coney
Island
Circus Sideshow"
Artist’s Statement
Cabinet of
Curiosities and Sideshows of Takeshi Yamada
As an author and educator, I have published 11 books,
published over 200 photograph-filled art articles, and taught/lectured
at over 3 dozens of educational institutions internationally. As an
artist, I have had over 500 fine art exhibitions including 45 solo shows
at museums, universities, colleges, fine art galleries, art centers,
nature centers, and midways internationally. My artworks have also been
featured in over 240 video websites to date.
My recent super-realism artworks, anthropological
artworks, environmental artworks, and rogue taxidermy specimen artworks
reflect my passion for Cabinet of Curiosities ever since I was a little
child. They also reflect my investigation of the unique and distinctive
culture of Coney Island circus sideshow. At one time, the entertainment
industry of Coney Island was much bigger than Disney World, Six Flags,
Las Vegas, Times Square and Hollywood combined. Coney Island was the
universal hub where the most spectacular beauties, curiosities,
oddities, monsters and marvels were gathered from around the world to
satisfy the human mind, intellect, fantasies and imaginations. In short,
Coney Island was the grandest “Cabinet of Curiosities”.
At circus sideshows, I was particularly fascinated by the
series of “specimens” on display of mythic creatures and human babies
with birth defects, all of which are in the category of artworks known
as “gaffs”. Gaffs are a form of highly specialized hyper-realism
sculptures simulating artifacts of curiosities and oddities (some are
completely fictional, such as Fiji Mermaid and Jackalope) displayed at
pay-per-view sideshows behind large, vividly painted banners.
Historically, gaffs have been a vital part of the “Cabinet of
Curiosities” (also known as Wunderkammer or wonder-room). The cabinet of
curiosities was a collection of natural history specimens kept and often
displayed in cabinets by many early practitioners of science in the
early 16th century in Europe (and they were symbols of
wealth, social status and power by international trade merchants), and
were precursors to today’s natural history museums.
With these in mind, I have created over 600
“ultra/super-realism artworks”, “OOPA” (out-of-place artifacts) and
“rogue taxidermy specimen artworks (mostly cryptids)”, which simulate
the treasures of the cabinet of curiosities of the past, present, and
future. Examples are 32-feet giant sea serpents, 6-feet Fiji Mermaids,
5-feet Chupacabra, dragons, 6-foot 8-legged spider dog (Cindora),
two-headed babies (and over two dozen freak human babies and homunculi
of Paracelsus), shrunken human heads, fossilized fairies, nuclear
radiation giant stag beetles of Bikini Atoll, Canadian hairy trout,
Chinese horned dragon fish, human-faced fish, New York City giant subway
bugs, Mongolian death worms, two-headed snakes, Chinese flesh-eating
mushrooms, two-headed and six-fingered alchemist, human-faced insects,
artifacts of the Dreamland Fire of 1911 in Coney Island, relics of
ancient civilizations, Coney Island Sea Rabbit (Mermaid Rabbit), vampire
monkeys, giant prehistoric horseshoe crabs, alien specimens collected by
the Area 51 US military base, over 80 varieties of Coney Island brand
exotic canned foods (four-legged turkey, sea rabbit, king tarantulas,
vampire bat, etc.), among many other fascinating oddities and
curiosities. I also completed dozens of commissioned giant murals,
banners, showfronts and show signs for sideshow companies (and amusement
parks including Six Flags, Astroland Amusement Park, Dreamland Amusement
Park, Four C Productions, John Strong Sideshow, Lucky Daredevil Thrill
Show, etc), which have been displayed at midways of dozens of state
fairs every year. Examples of them are Giant Snake Show, Spider Girl
Shows, World’s Smallest Woman Shows, World’s Strangest Women Show,
World’s Smallest Horse Shows, Freak Baby Museum, and etc. I also worked
for those sideshows as a show talker, show lecturer, ticket seller and
performer at midways.
With my artworks, artifacts and specimens, I want to
celebrate one of the primal desires of human nature, which seeks the
mysteries and wonders of the universe.
|
Above
photograph by Charles Denson - Courtesy of Takishi Yamada
|
Takeshi Yamada
Museum of World Wonders in Coney Island, Brooklyn,
New York
2010
|
"Museum
of World Wonders" Exhibition by Takeshi Yamada
is displayed here by request of Takeshi.
Now Step Right this Way to Experience the
Artwork of Takeshi
Yamada
|
Link - Articles - New Artwork - Press. |
click to read articles
|
click on above images to read articles
|
|
CABINET OF CURIOUSITIES
Art Lecture & Workshop by Takeshi
Yamada
|
 |
|
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
The
following article features Takeshi Yamada’s participation
in the “Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids” exhibition
at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, New York in
2007 and 2008. Yamada was featured in a documentary film, art
performances, art demonstration, and art lecture about the
exhibition events. This manuscript was produced by Dr. Eriko N.
Bond, noted art critic and book author in New York City, as told
by Yamada.
|
Cindora at Coney
Island Beach - 6 foot Rogue taxidermy - Collection
of "Tyler
Fyer's Lucky Daredevil Thrillshow"
|
Click On The Photos Below To View Full
Size.
Limulus polyphemus
- Kabutogani (Warrior’s Helmet Crab in Japan; Horseshoe Crab
in the United States) is a “living fossil”, and as such has outlived
the most famous of fossils--the dinosaur.
Click here
|
|
The Cabinet of Curiosity
|
Prehistoric Giant Horseshoe Crab
(Limulus giganteus)
34"x10"x3"
|
Prehistoric Giant Horseshoe Crab
(Limulus phoenix)
30"x12"x4" |
Nuclear
Radiated
Giant
Tailed Stag
Beetles
of Bikini Atoll
(Male &
Female) |
Nuclear
Radiated
Giant
Stag
Beetle of
Bikini Atoll
15"x10"x3" |
|
Nuclear
Radiated
Giant
Stag
Beetle of
Bikini Atoll
(adult male
head)
in display
case |
Warrior's Ceremonial Mask,
excavated from the ruin of the Palace of Ocean (Painted on the
Horseshoe Crab)
17"x11"x3" |
Warrior's Ceremonial Mask (with feathers),
excavated from the ruin of the Palace of Ocean
36"x23"x3" |
Princess Otohime
(dragon's daughter) riding on the back of the Warrior's Helmet Crab,
excavated from the ruin of the Palace of Ocean
22"x10"x3" |
Chupacabra
Details of
head
blood-sucking monster believed to live in
Mexico,
Brazil and on the island of
Puerto Rico |
|
Chupacabra
5
feet
blood-sucking monster believed to live in
Mexico,
Brazil and on the island of
Puerto Rico
Collection
of Museum of World Oddities, Florida) |
Mummified
6-fingered Hand |
Homunculus
(artificial human
created from human sperm)
created by Paracerusus
in 16th century
(mummified body parts) |
Hairy
Trout |
Egyptian
Cat Mummy |
|
Fiji
Alligator
Canned
Food |
Jackalope
Canned
Food |
Spiny Bullfrog
Canned
Food |
King Tarantula
Label |
Giant Vampire Bat
Label |
King Piranha
Label
(Private
Collection)
|
Giant Perubian
Vampire
Moth
Cocoons
|
Coney Island
School of Wizardry
Artifact collected at Dreamland Fire of 1911 in Coney Island
|
Coney Island
Voodoo
Shoppe
Artifact collected at Dreamland Fire of 1911 in Coney Island
(Private
Collection) |
Coney Island Anthropological
Institute
Artifact collected at Dreamland Fire
of 1911 in Coney Island
|
|
Coney Island
Mermaid World
Artifact collected at Dreamland Fire of 1911 in Coney Island
|
Fossilized Fairy
(Nympha juncea) |
Giant Cockroach
Fossil
six-inch
(Collection
of Museum of World Oddities, Florida) |
Fiji-Mermaid
Detail |
Fiji-Mermaid
49 inches |
The
universal egg in the following portraits is a symbol of alchemy; a
perfect container of time, space and life.
|
6-Fingered
Nobleman
In
Blue
32"x24"
oil
on canvas |
2-Headed
6- Fingered Alchemist
32" X 24"
oil on
Canvas
|
6-Fingered Doctor
32" x 24"
oil on canvas
(with two goddesses)
|
6-Fingered Philosopher
32" x 24"
oil on canvas
(with three goddesses) |
6-Fingered
Merchant
32" X 24"
oil on
Canvas |
|
6-Fingered
Warrior Prince
48"x 36"
oil
on canvas |
Battle
of
Coney
Island
48" x 72"
oil on
canvas
|
Takeshi
Yamada
as
a Horseshoe Crab Warrior at the Annual Coney Island Mermaid Parade
in 2003 - with Helen Pontani of "Pontani Sisters" |
Takeshi
Yamada
as
a Horseshoe Crab Warrior at the Annual Coney Island Mermaid Parade -
with 2 Mermaids in 2003 |
Two-headed
Dragon Tailed Green Snake |
|
Exhibition Sign
Takeshi Yamada's six-fingered hand |
Exhibition Sign
Takeshi Yamada's six-fingered hand |
Exhibition Sign
Takeshi Yamada's six-fingered hand |
Six
Fingered Gloves |
7-Fingered Hand |
|
Mermaid's
Knife
|
Two-headed Baby
with 12
fingers & toes |
Shrunken
Human
Head
(Collection
of Museum of World Oddities, Florida)
|
Japanese
Ceremonial Dragon Tooth of Chiho-Shinto enshrined in the altar |
Japanese Ceremonial Dragon Tooth of Chiho-Shinto |
|
Sperm Whale Tooth Scrimshaw
|
Human-faced Fly |
Mongolian Giant Death
Worm
Collection
of Museum of World Oddities, Florida) |
New York
City
Giant
Subway Bugs
|
Two-faced
Baby |
Posted here with the permission of
Takeshi Yamade
Click Here to See
Takeshi Yamada’s Works at Theaters/Amusement
Park
By
Eriko N. Bond
To Read Click on Curtain Above
Review
by
Allison Devers in The Brooklyn Rail.
Critical perspective on arts, politics, and culture.
July/August 2005 Issue
Click
Here to Read
No artwork may be
reproduced, reposted or used in any manner except that of viewing
without the express written permission of Sideshow WorldTM or
the copyright holder. If you would like to be include in our sideshow
art gallery please
drop us a line
<<<< 14
Gallery Return To Top
Back To Sideshow
Art Gallery
Back To Main
Gallery 16>>>>
|
.JPG)
%20of%20Dragon's%20palace%20riding%20on%20the%20back%20of%20the%20Warrior's%20Helmet%20Crab%20(horseseho%20crab),%20excavated%20from%20the%20ruin%20of%20the%20%20Palace%20of%20Ocean.JPG)
