A series of animals possessed by their ‘spirit human’. Fables featuring talking animals have a rich cultural history. These fables teach important lessons, while entertaining and imparting collective wisdom to the next generation. Think Aesop’s Fables, The Brothers Grimm, and the Bible. Anthropomorphic characters often share insight regarding relationships, morality, and collective fear through carefully crafted parable. Possessions is anthropomorphism gone very, very wrong.
*This video contains indecent words. Parents are advised to accompany children when watching it.
For over a decade Watanabe has been creating computer-controlled gallery installations populated by kinetic sculpture, drawing, projection, and sound. One of his recent projects, San Andreas Deer Cam (2016), was presented live on the Internet, had over 800,000 visitors in the first three months, and was written about in dozens of publications, including New York Magazine, the BBC, and WIRED. He has participated in numerous group shows and screenings nationally and internationally, most recently at Bureau Europa (Maastricht, Netherlands, 2022) and Centro Cultural Banco de Brasil (Rio de Janiero, Brazil, 2022) . He has had recent solo exhibitions at SOIL Art Gallery (Seattle, WA, 2006), McLeod Residency (Seattle, WA, 2008), Jack Straw New Media Gallery (Seattle, WA, 2009), Gallery 4Culture (Seattle, WA, 2011), Anchor Art Space (Anacortes, WA, 2013), and Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival (Seattle, WA, 2016).
