Graham_Kolbeins

Graham Kolbeins

Graham Kolbeins

Canadian filmmaker, writer, and fashion designer

Graham Kolbeins is a Canadian filmmaker, writer, and fashion designer.

Quick Facts Born, Occupation(s) ...

Background

Kolbeins' documentary films have focused on themes of LGBTQ art and activism, including the web series Rad Queers[1][2][3] and the documentary short film The House of Gay Art.[4][5] As co-founder and creative director of the brand Massive Goods[6][7] Kolbeins and collaborator Anne Ishii worked with Japanese artists including gay manga artist Gengoroh Tagame and feminist artist Rokudenashiko to produce English translations of their work as well as fashion collections for brands including Opening Ceremony[8] and Mishka.[9]

Works

Films

The Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission named Kolbeins a recipient of their Creative Artists Exchange Fellowship in 2016,[10] and he subsequently spent five months filming a feature documentary about sexuality and gender identity in Japan titled Queer Japan.[11][12] Currently in post-production, the film features a variety of artists, activists, dancers, drag queens, and everyday persons.[13] The cast includes Gengoroh Tagame, drag queen and artist Vivienne Sato, transgender politician Aya Kamikawa, and photographer Leslie Kee.[13] Kolbeins' short-form work includes Rad Queers, a series of documentary profiles on artists and activists; as well as collaborations with artist Rafa Esparza,[14] musician Dorian Wood,[15] writer Beau Rice,[16] and the magazine New American Paintings. He also created a found footage experimental short Food Horror which explored stigma towards eating embedded with the teen television drama Pretty Little Liars.[17][18]

Books

Along with Chip Kidd and Anne Ishii, Kolbeins is the co-editor of two books on Japanese gay art: The Passion of Gengoroh Tagame[19][20][21] and Fantagraphics' anthology, Massive: Gay Erotic Manga and the Men Who Make It,[22][23][24] which was nominated for an Eisner award in 2015.[25] The team also collaborated on Koyama Press' English-language edition of What Is Obscenity?,[26][27] a graphic memoir by the artist Rokudenashiko chronicling her arrest on obscenity charges for making 3D printed vagina art, which was nominated for a Los Angeles Times Book Award[28]

References

  1. [1]
    Thibault, Simon (September 14, 2012). "Rad Queers inspire and delight". Daily Xtra. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  2. [2]
    Kolbeins, Graham (February 5, 2014). "Rad Queers: Edie Fake". The Comics Journal. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  3. [3]
    Mixner, David (January 20, 2013). "VIDEO: Payasos L.A. Is An Organization of Latino Gay Men Giving Back To the Community!". DavidMixner.com. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  4. [4]
    "MASSIVE – Documents Japan's Historic House of Gay Art (Watch)". LGBT Update. February 28, 2015. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  5. [5]
    "Massive's pilgrimage to The House of Gay Art". Last Gasp. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  6. [6]
    Rondinelli, David (March 5, 2015). "EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH MASSIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR GRAHAM KOLBEINS". Geeks OUT. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  7. [7]
    "About". MASSIVE Goods. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  8. [8]
    Trebay, Guy (June 23, 2014). "Opening Ceremony Turns to Manga Comic Artist for Gay Pride Week". The New York Times. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  9. [9]
    @Mishka_LA (May 11, 2015). "This Friday from 7–10 PM Gengoroh Tagame will b here showing his artwork & doing an in-store book signing! Come hang!" (Tweet). Retrieved June 11, 2017 – via Twitter.
  10. [10]
    "JUSFC Meet Our Grantees Series: Graham Kolbeins – Writer, Designer, Film Maker". Japan-United States Friendship Commission. December 16, 2016. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  11. [11]
    Nichols, James Michael (February 20, 2016). "Get An Intimate Look at Queer Life in Japan". Huffington Post. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  12. [12]
    Aoki, Deb (March 7, 2016). "Interview: "Queer Japan" Filmmaker Graham Kolbeins". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  13. [13]
    ""Queer Japan" Post-Production". GoFundMe. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  14. [14]
    "Rafa Esparza". grahamkolbeins.com. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  15. [15]
    "Dorian Wood". grahamkolbeins.com. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  16. [16]
    Kay, Jean (February 25, 2015). "An interview with Beau Rice". AQNB. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  17. [17]
    Stewart, Dodai (June 10, 2013). "Are You Going to Eat That? Pretty Little Liars Has Food Issues". Jezebel. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  18. [18]
    Gray, Emma (June 11, 2013). "'Pretty Little Liars' Food Horror Video Reveals The Show's Eating Issues". Huffington Post. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  19. [19]
    Thorne, James (April 30, 2013). "The Passion of Gengoroh Tagame". Cool Hunting. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  20. [20]
    Greenwell, Garth (December 8, 2013). "Gengoroh Tagame's 'The Passion of Gengoroh Tagame: Master Of Gay Erotic Manga': Book Review". Tower Road. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  21. [21]
    Cardamone, Tom (November 30, 2013). "'The Passion of Gengoroh Tagame: Master of Gay Erotic Manga' by Gengoroh Tagame". Lambda Literary Foundation. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  22. [22]
    Nichols, James (February 2, 2015). "'Massive: Gay Erotic Manga And The Men Who Make It,' Chronicles Gay Japanese Manga". Huffington Post. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  23. [23]
    Cardamone, Tom (January 13, 2015). "'Massive: Gay Erotic Manga and the Men Who Make It' Edited by Graham Kolbeins, Anne Ishii, and Chip Kidd". Lambda Literary Foundation. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  24. [24]
    Cummins, Chris (February 2, 2015). "Massive: An Interview With Comics Historian Graham Kolbeins". Den of Geek!. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  25. [25]
    Asselin, Janelle (April 22, 2015). "2015 Eisner Award Nominations Announced". ComicsAlliance. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  26. [26]
    Saba, Oliver (May 13, 2016). "What Is Obscenity? seeks to liberate the vagina through art activism". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  27. [27]
    Kirby, Robert (April 28, 2016). "What Is Obscenity? The Story of a Good for Nothing Artist and Her Pussy". The Comics Journal. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  28. [28]
    Schaub, Michael (February 22, 2017). "L.A. Times Book Prize finalists include Zadie Smith and Rep. John Lewis; Thomas McGuane will be honored". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
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