Three black and white pen drawings showing different aspect of Japanese culture

Mosman High School

Detarame: Of the Correct Use of Symbols

Drawing

Ballpoint pen on paper

Detarame (出鱈目) is a Japanese adjective that can be translated in many situations or contexts as 'nonsense', 'random', 'bluffing', or for lack of a better word, 'bull’. It is often used to describe the behaviour or speech of a person who is acting irresponsibly and/or fabricating knowledge to hide their ignorance. My artwork invites the audience to explore various ideas such as contemporary Japanese life and its perception in the West, the skewed portrayal of foreign cultures, the conflicting values of the old and the new, and the loss of tradition that arises from it.