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| W.Scott.Forbes |
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| Nico Colaleo |
Opening Reception:
Saturday, August 16
7:00pm - 11:00pm
Meltdown Comics & Collectibles
7522 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, California 90046
TTDILA: So Nico, how did you become curator of this show? Was
is the two other Sailor Moon art shows that happened in the LA area?
Trying to get back at them for not letting your work be shown?
Nico Colaleo: Not at all! Quite the opposite actually. I have had plans to curate a Sailor Moon gallery long before I knew about the other ones that happened in the LA area. This was a couple
years back when I first started toying with the idea of hosting my own
art shows, an idea my good friend Julia Vickerman encouraged me to do.
Along with maybe one or two other ideas, Sailor Moon was at the top of
my list. However, when the nice folks at Meltdown/Nerdist and I started
getting to know each other more, and as time passed and I finally
started curating, a couple other things came along and Sailor Moon ended
up not being my first show after all. (The first was a Twin Peaks
themed show last June in 2013, followed by a Wes Anderson themed show
this past March.) Finally, late last year when the 20th anniversary of
Sailor Moon came along, I started talking with Meltdown about wanting to
have this as a themed show sometime this year. Scheduling in the
Nerdist Showroom can take time, but we eventually got the ball rolling
and now here we are in August 2014.
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| Babs Tarr |
Now,
I have gotten some concern from friends and fans if my Sailor Moon art
show would clash too much with the other LA area shows. But the way I
look at it, the franchise is celebrating its' 20th anniversary, and a
whole new reboot series is here. It's a very, very big year for Sailor
Moon. So why should there be a limit to what fans can enjoy? I really
don't think it's a big deal. We just hit the 30th anniversary of TMNT,
and there were two different LA art shows for that both within a week of
each other! But so what? I think our favorite movies, shows and
characters should be celebrated as much as their fans want!
As you are a cartoonist are we going to see a lot of cartoonists in the show?
Absolutely.
I've gathered an amazing number of my pals throughout the animation
industry to participate in this show. They're all so into it, I'm
totally pumped!
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| Julianne Eckert |
While I'm
not interested in the idea of "topping" other galleries, I do strive to
provide a different and unique experience at my art shows compared to
any other gallery spaces. Sailor Moon will be no exception. Without
going into too many details, some of the features of this art show
(besides the art of course) will be musical entertainment, 3D pieces of a
very mixed variety, themed snacks and goodies, an interactive photo
area, and not to mention a giant awesome comic store attached to the
front of it!
What made you a fan of Sailor Moon? Many fans don't remember the dubbing and edit was quite campy. Was it the art?
Sailor
Moon is pure nostalgia for me. I watched a little as a kid, but it was
my first girlfriend in my early teens who was a HUGE fan of the show, so
I spent a LOT of time with her watching and enjoying it. Now when I
look at the show, it kinda takes me to that younger time in my life, and
makes me feel happy. I of course love the show for what it is too, and
nearly anything with a female protagonist instantly interests me. I'm
also a huge fan of all the silly moments of the show, the goofy faces
that Usagi and the gang make are priceless. They should all be framed
and hanging in a fun museum somewhere.
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| Nico Colaleo |
Does Sailor Moon affect you as an artist or in your life. Do you own a cat named Luna or Artemis by chance?
Not
particularly. My artistic upbringing is influenced primarily by western
animation and classic Hollywood cartoons. I'm not even that familiar
with most anime, save for a few shows. (This is mainly due to explicit
ignorance / lack of free time on my part.) But besides Sailor Moon, I am
a fan of Cowboy Bebop, FLCL, Panty and Stocking, Shin Chan, Super Milk
Chan, and of course Miyazaki's films.
And nope, sadly, my apartments do not allow pets. Otherwise I would definitely own a little baby kitty buddy.
Will there be meatballs or a least a piece where Sailor Moon's hair is spaghetti with meatballs as her gems?
I hope so! Maybe one of the artists will surprise us.
Your thoughts on the new series from Japan, Crystal, and the fan made Moon Animate Make-Up?
From
what I have seen so far, Crystal is a very slick, impressive series
that is very very pretty to look at. It's also really cool to see these
beloved characters in modern HD widescreen. But so far, it seems to be
missing the humor, the silliness, the cartoony charm that made me fall
in love with the characters way back when. Maybe that'll change though, I
still plan to keep my eyes on it.
And,
yes, LOVE the Moon Animate Make-Up project. A lot of creativity and fun
going on there. I have numerous good friends who animated and
contributed shots to it, as well. In fact, they're all in the Sailor
Moon Meatball Head art show that I'm curating on August 16th at Meltdown Comics! Have you heard of it?
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| Whitney Pollett |