Rica Takashima's Et Cetera : Tokyo Love

Something that is ordinary to one person can be a strange practice to others. At the same time, that strange practice can be exciting to yet another. Rica wants to express the differences between cultures as something fun and exciting, rather than as creating conflict and friction.

In 1995, Rica started drawing the semi-autobiographical Manga portraying everyday lives of lesbians, in Japan’s premier lesbian magazine at that time. She struggled with her sexuality since her young age, but there were no movies/novels with themed positive lesbian stories even in 1980s. Her questions towards traditional Japanese patriarchal family values and discrimination against LGBT motivated her to start to draw conceptual Manga to public. Her project Manga book was published in 2003 and 2012 in English and Japanese, and Italian version in 2011. After she immigrated to the US with her family in 2008, she collaborates her work with Pride March, NewFEST LGBT film festival, and other diverse organizations.

She also created manga illustrations of We Can Do It! series, which encourages women in diversity.

Manga sculpture, El Barrio Comes All Colors, Shapes and Sizes was funded by Flow15, Randall’s Island park alliance, The Bronx Museum of the Arts, and Made Event 2015

Rica, Miho and Meechan Cat was awarded as Demystifying NFTs by Technology Gap and New York Foundation for the Arts, 2022

Her interactive public installation Aliens in New York has been supported by New York Foundation for the Arts since 2013 which Rica started in Tokyo Harajuku open street since 1994.(The name at the time was Aozora Art/Blue Sky Art)

*****

Thursday, November 16, 2023

Anime NYC!

日本語は下

I will participate in AnimeNYC.
Artist Alley #K17.
Come and say Hi!

Javits Convention Center, 429 11^th Ave.

November 17th-19th

17(Fri) 1-8pm

18(Sat) 10am-7pm

19(Sun) 10am-4pm

I was planning to make “thin book”, but I gave up. My bad.

But I made stickers from the We can Do It! series.

I also made some additions to "Where Is Here?" the thin book I made in the summer.

This time I'll just relax and not try too hard.

AnimeNYCに参加します。アーティストアレイ＃K17です。遊びにきてね。

ジャビッツセンター

11月１７−19日

17(金)　１−８pm

18(土)　10am−7pm

19(日) 10am−4pm

合わせで薄い本を作る予定だったが断念です。すいません。

でもWe can Do It!シリーズのステッカーは作ったよ。

夏に作った"Where Is Here?"にちょっと追加もしました。

今回は頑張らずまったりやるわ。あと日本で手に入れたグッズもちょっと売るかも。

よろしくね！

高嶋リカ拝

Wednesday, October 2, 2019

　New York Comic Con Booth #2270

Hi!

I am so excieted to attend for all days at New York Comic Con this year.
I will be sit at Booth #2270, Women In Comics.
Please drop by and say hello!

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Women in Comics NYC Gallery Exhibition 2

Hi! I am part in Women in Comics NYC Gallery Exhibition 2, group art show
at Poe Park Visitor Center, (2640 Grand Concourse, Bronx, NY 10458)
August 1-31.
Please drop by the Poe Park.

http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/poe-park/events/2015/08/06/women-in-comics

I participated in the opening party and Q&A panel.
It was fun!

Many people came to our panel, we are very happy!

During the exhibition, there will be:

● Mr.Papo Jr Comic Festival, Saturday August 8, 1-4pm
● Story Telling Workshop, Saturday August 15, 1-3:30pm
● Wi-Moto Nyoka: The Last Days of Kartika Film Screening, Saturday August 22, 1-3pm
● Portfolio Review, Saturday August 22, 3-4:30pm

There is that Edgar Allan Poe's cottage at The Poe Park.
Who want to vist the Poe's cottage with me?
Please contact me if you can come there.
ricatakashima atmark gmail.com

See you!
Rica

Friday, May 2, 2014

The Bronx Heroes Comic Con is almost!

Hello

I will part of The Bronx Heroes Comic Con.

May 3rd, 11am -7pm

The Bronx Library Center

Fordham RD, (B, D)

Fee: Free

If you are in the area, please drop by!

I colored my pencil sketch, not worked well...I should have inked it.

Her name is Feli from PUYOPUYO game.

Friday, March 28, 2014

Rainbow Book Fair Tomorrow!

In 1994, when I began drawing the first chapters of this "Tokyo Love, Rica 'tte Kanji" series, I was 28 years old. My friend Mami-chan, an editor, had suggested it. "Want to try drawing a manga?" She had just started up a lesbian magazine and needed writers.

I realized I liked women around high school, but my romantic interest in girls around me had begun earlier, during middle school. I looked for information about that but, in those days, there wasn't any real information available. Every once in a while there was a gay magazine, which I would stand in a gay bookstore and read

obsessively, but not buy.

There were hardly any lesbian-themed novels or manga, maybe a little fantasy or science fiction, but the endings were always grim, everyone died. However, I did enjoy looking at photos of female models in men's magazines.

When I was little, my friends had taken up drawing manga as a

hobby, and I thought I could do that.

So I created the happy story and drew Manga comic which I really wanted to read. I needed courage to open to public. Now, we have many good books about LGBTQ by LGBTQ. Please drop by the Rainbow Book Fairand support the creators who are changing the world better place!

My table #is 66.

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Celebrate International Women's Month

I celebrate "International Women's Month" with posting my manga on FB Women in Comix page, and my pixiv page.

You can enjoy various comics related to woman by other fabulous woman cartoonists on the FB page.

Please Like and follow the page.

Thank you!

FB: https://www.facebook.com/events/267946353364595/permalink/268552823303948/

pixiv: http://pixiv.me/takashimarica

FaceBookで行われている、女性漫画家の国際女性月間のキャンペーンに参加しています。私の漫画本Tokyo Loveから数ページづつ投稿してご紹介します。

３月中はさまざまな米国漫画家さんの作品を垣間みることができます。

また、pixivでも同じものをまとめて投稿しますので、アカウントを持っている方は是非覗いてくださいね。

Please read right to left.

"High School Student, Rica"

page101 from "Tokyo Love"

Total 228 pages.

Please visit here to complete story

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009G55P2S