Pokemon x Daniel Arsham present 'A Ripple in Time' - portal to a fictive future

Immortalising the timeless nostalgia of Pokémon, visual artist Daniel Arsham brings forth his third installation in collaboration with The Pokémon Company. A Ripple in time is a series of exhibitions being presented by Nanzuka, showcasing different works done by Arsham and his Pokémon series at over five various locations in Tokyo. The main exhibition, A Ripple in Time presents sculptures, concept art, storyboards and a very special film installation done in collaboration with Kunihiko Yuyama, the Creative Supervisor of the Pokémon franchise. Using his signature style of creating fictional archaeology, American artist, Daniel Arsham has taken some of the most beloved characters from Japanese anime and moulded them into surreal sculptures using mediums of pyrite, selenite, glass, crystals, bronze and more. A Ripple in Time will be on display from 12th February 2022 until the 27th of March 2022 at the Nanzuka Underground Gallery in Tokyo.

New York based artist Daniel Arsham is famous for his sculptural artworks that derive inspiration from the memorable parts of our pop culture and uses them to create uchronic worlds. “The idea of fictional archaeology is about taking objects from the present and reforming them in geological materials to project them into the future. It’s as if you could go to the future and look at the remnants of your own life, of your own civilization, really,” says Arsham about his work. Arsham is a multidisciplinary artist who often transcends the definitive boundaries of design, fine art and culture to deliver creative work that carry the essence of multiple disciplines, yet cannot be pigeonholed in any single one of them.

Building upon his childhood fascination for Pokémon, Arsham has meticulously curated characters and stories and presented them through his sculptural works. These pieces carry the power to transform the viewer to an alternate fictional world where these pocket monsters have been fossilised into visual masterpieces. Arsham’s Pokémon cards have been masterfully crafted out of bronze, with its copper green patina and eroded parts exposing polished bronze crystals. This aesthetic, synonymous with Arsham’s style, has been recreated with beautiful stone creations exposing clear crystals through the fictional erosion.

The exhibition also showcases drawings and different concept art that were created during the design and animation process. The highlight of the exhibition is a six minute clip showing a fictional character, representing the likes of Arsham himself battling the series protagonists, Ash Ketchum and Pikachu, when they are transformed into the fictional world Arsham’s work is set to exist in. Created in collaboration with Kunihiko Yuyama, the general director of the Pokémon TV Series in the 90s, the short film briefly transports viewers to the 90s, reminiscent of their favourite childhood television series. The short film is also available for online viewing on the official Pokémon Youtube channel.

'A Ripple in Time' will remain on display from 12th February 2022 until the 27th of March 2022 at the Nanzuka Underground Gallery in Tokyo.