Hybridity in Rotterdam's Architecture and Art

I was very surprised to find how much I enjoyed the Manga exhibit at the Rotterdam World Museum. I think this is mainly due to the fact that when I think of manga or anime, I immediately think of Japan and its culture. I certainly do not think about Europe, or the Netherlands. The explanation of the various works in the exhibition therefore proved helpful as they provided an explanation that quite conveniently supports my understanding of the Rotterdam identity as it relates to modernity, aesheticization, and history.

Shinkichi Tajiri's Futuristic Machines and Warriors at the Rotterdam World Museum, Rotterdam

On the placard accompanying Shinkichi Tajiri's statue, Futuristic Machines and Warriors, the museum provides a detailed explanation that places this work within the historical context of the period immediately following World War II. According to this information provided by the curators, this particular genre of manga characters that emerged after the war was known as mecha manga. These often violent comic strips featured robots that battled against the evils of war. However, upon gathering this information, I learned that Tajiri, a Japanese-American artist, was not even a native to the Netherlands. Why then would his work, and this particular show for that matter, feature so prominently in the Rotterdam World Museum?

As my journal entry from yesterday discusses, the architecture in Rotterdam differs greatly from that of Amsterdam and the various other cities we have visited in the Netherlands thus far. This architectural style change was a direct effect of World War II, following the bombing and destruction of a greater part of the city. As already mentioned, Tajiri's Mecha Manga genre rose immediately following World War II with stories of its warriors banishing the war in a form of literary and artistic protest against the glorification of violence. Interestingly, these warriors are hybrids, their arms replaced by weapons and shields, their heads resembling the fierce Buddhist gods that are meant to drive away demons. Ambiguous in their form and shape, they are either robots becoming humans, or humans becoming robots.

Their hybridity as man and machine, and the ambiguity of remains the most interesting factor of all. As a mix of both human and machine, these defeators of war and evil represent the ultimate, if not cliche, hero archetype. Hybridity is often the necessary ingredient used to create a character of supersonic strength, speed, et cetera, think Iron Man. However, this archetypal hybridity, once applied to Rotterdam, the very city presenting this exhibition, expands into a beautiful metaphor of the city's post-war strength and perseverance, two qualities that I find Amsterdam to be lacking.

Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam, the Netherlands

From what I have seen of Rotterdam, I would characterize it as a hybrid city. As mentioned in my last journal entry, it is comprised of old and new, medieval and modern, neutrals and brights, plain and geometric. An amalgamation of dichotomous elements, the history of Rotterdam during World War II is ever present in its visual elements, standing as a constant reminder of the city's strength to persevere. Working for some time within the Netherlands, Tajiri, with his beautifully strong and wondrous creations, provides the Dutch people as well as the other occupants of the world with an image and story of hope and heroism that today remains a part of heir identity.

 

Sophia