Shot for the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, the photo below celebrates the upcoming exhibition “Kaiju vs Heroes,” featuring Mark Nagata’s unrivalled collection of vintage Japanese toys. Born out of the cultural ashes of World War II, these distinctive soft vinyl figures became both a means for Japanese Americans to reconnect with their culture and an apt metaphor for postwar relations between the United States and Japan. The show opens September 15th, 2018 and runs until March 24th, 2019.
Mark is a brilliant artist, designer, and the original founder of Super7. He left to start his labor of love – the Max Toy Company. The immensely popular toys that he designs and produces (like Captain Maxx and Drazoran seen in the photo) are heavily inspired by archetypical characters from Japanese pop culture in the 1950s and 60s. Brian has enjoyed getting another chance to collaborate with Mark after so many years. He shot Mark's iconic Eyezon figure (now in the permanent collection of The Strong, National Museum of Play) back in 2008.
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