Manga Made

Looking to establish a reading beyond a Western portrayal of gender in illustration, Manga Made seeks to be reflexive of the concepts explored in the Keep Your Timber Limber exhibition by opening the dialogue to other regions of the world. The display explores different perspectives of identity politics in popular culture, through manga and animation that put forward an alternative viewpoint to what some would call a 'global queerness'.

Manga Made also introduces new art works into the ICA in order to speak to the recent developments of the digital self in relation to digital gender politics through artworks such as Pierre Huyghe’s One Million Kingdoms (2001) and Frances Stark’s My Best Thing (2011). Seen as a progression into what gender politics means now, the exhibition maps the development of the body through an alternative display space that brings together gender bending publications created for commercial contexts that are not considered ‘art’, yet still challenge specific social, political or stylistic conventions. Publications such as Ranma ½ and Futaba-kun Change alongside artworks that show the progression of body politics in the digital age, and what the avatar represents in the discourse around gender conventions.

This project questions whether exhibitions or displays situated within larger ones can be reflexive and critical of the meta-narrative of the core exhibition.

Project curated by ICA Student Forum member Victor Wang.

Saturday 13 July

Pierre Huyghe, One Million Kingdoms, 2001
With publications: Ranma ½, Futaba-kun Change and Cheeky Angel.

Sunday 14 July

Frances Stark, My Best Thing, 2011
With publications: Ranma ½, Futaba-kun Change and Cheeky Angel.

With the support of Marian Goodman Gallery New York and Greengrassi Gallery London.