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Since 1970, internationally active and respected
visual artist, Takeshi Yamada, has worked on
many dozens of large theatre backdrops, fine art
mural paintings, and sideshow banners for his
international clients. (As a professional
visual artist, Yamada has had over 400 fine art
exhibitions including 42 solo art exhibitions
internationally, as of December 2007.)
At the beginning of this year (January - March),
2008 in Florida, Yamada worked on over two dozen
commissioned large sideshow banners, signs,
props, and gaffs (man-made specimens of
superrealistic taxidermy models of
cryptozoological animals) for Four C Productions
Inc. in Florida. The company (established in
1972 by CEO Jack Constantine and still up and
running on Jack's energy) is the largest and
most active sideshow company in the United
States today. It produces 60 to 70 shows (up to
16 sideshows at five to six different fairs at
the same time) at fairs across the nation
annually.
Yamada considers the sideshow banner is a truly
unique, distinctive and genuine American pop art
enjoyed by all at midways. Today, Takeshi Yamada
is the only remaining major artist who
consistently creates commissioned high-quality,
large-scale hand-painted banners and high
quality gaffs for operating sideshow companies,
amusement parks (and even “real” museums) in
America.
The “Spider Girl” or “Spidora” has been a staple
attraction at midways in America but its banner
has changed little in the last 100 years.
Nevertheless, Yamada’s passion in visual
anthropology and cryptozoology has made his
sideshow banners significantly different from
the traditional ones. Specifically, Yamada
treated her as Arachne of Greek mythology. The
poor woman was forced to transform into a spider
by the anger of Gods. In the popular TV series
“The Power of Myth”. Dr. Joseph Campbell once
stated that the job of an artist is
mythologizing the world in which he lives.
Yamada sees mythologies as alive and all around
us even today. Yamada fuses mythology of the
past and the present. Yamada expresses it in his
artworks in the most profound, powerful,
dramatic and sensational manners.
This author hopes the following sequence of
photographs will give insights to viewers about
how today's best and truly ingenious artist
created his commissioned artwork for the most
actively-operating sideshow company in America.
This author also desires these photographs
enhance the experience of the people who visit
his “Spider Girl” at midways.
References:
Following website also features other banner and
mural projects of Takeshi Yamada.
http://sideshowworld.com/TSAmuse.html
http://sideshowworld.com/SSA-15ASnakegirl.html
END
Copyright by Takeshi Yamada,
Museum of World Wonders in Coney Island,
Brooklyn, New York, March 2008. All Rights
Reserved.
E-mail:
yamada108@aol.com
Special thanks to Dr. Eriko N. Bond, Maremi
Kakushina
Also special thanks to Lauren D. Travis (Senior
Proofreader)
http://www.sideshowworld.com/SSA-15.html
http://www.roguetaxidermy.com/members_detail.php?id=528
http://www.horseshoecrab.org/poem/feature/takeshi.html
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