A Conversation with Rica Takashima

Nathalia Dutra

Rica Takashima is a Tokyo-born artist whose work spans participatory public art and manga. Her work crosses borders both physical and conceptual with a spirit of openness, humor, and radical empathy. Her practice challenges normative ideas around gender, age, and race while celebrating the curious and strange ways in which we exist. In 1995, Rica began illustrating Rica ‘tte Kanji!, a semi-autobiographical manga that chronicled the lives of queer women in Japan. Now based in New York City, Rica continues to bridge cultures and communities through her work, making space for difference, delight, and change.

This interview was conducted over email in May 2025 and has been lightly edited for clarity. Rica translated the responses herself, answering in both Japanese and English.

All images courtsey Rica Takashima.

Growing Up, Early Influences & The Cultural Landscape

Your parents were renowned calligraphers. What was it like growing up with that influence? It feels like such a beautiful form of knowledge to inherit—how do you think it shaped your artistic sensibility and the way you engage with the world?

母方は書道で有名な家系でした。確かに芸術的な環境で育ったので芸術的な知識や感性は幼い頃から育てられたと思います。幼稚園の頃から美術館やコンサートなどに連れて行ってもらいました。私はマグリットの絵が好きで色鉛筆やクレヨンでよく模写をしていました。

しかし日本の伝統芸術の世界は家父長制度が今でも残っています。私はそれが大嫌いでした。どちらかといえば日本の古い価値観に対しての反発が私の芸術を産んだと思っています。

My maternal side is a family well known for calligraphy. Growing up in such an environment, I believe my artistic knowledge and sensibility were nurtured from an early age. From kindergarten, I was taken to art museums and concerts. I loved Magritte’s paintings and often copied them with colored pencils and crayons.

However, the world of traditional Japanese arts still retains a patriarchal system. I absolutely hated that. If anything, I think my art was born out of a rebellion against those old Japanese values.

Can you share your experience growing up in Shinjuku and discovering queer life in Ni-chōme? What was the scene like at the time?

新宿で生まれましたが育ったのは池袋の近くです。私は高校時代に女子校の同級生とお付き合いしていたので２丁目のようなネットワークに入る必要を感じませんでした。大学になって彼女と別れて初めてレズビアンコミュニティに興味が出ました。私はバイセクシャルだったので最初一人でレズバーに行くには引け目があり、1番最初に連絡を取ったのはLGBTQコミュニティのOCCURという団体でした。そこで様々なクイアの団体を知りイベントに参加していました。Diamond Cutter, Womens Weekend, Le-gumi Studio, LABRYSなどです。その後は毎週末は２丁目に通うようになりました。毎日イベントがあったら毎日通っていたかもしれませんLOL

当時はインターネットがなかったので、みんなバーには恋人を探しにいくという目的が多かったと思います。そしてタチとネコは服装やメイクでわかるのではっきりしていました。私はタチだけど女装するのが好きでトムボーイなネコが好きだったので、なかなかマッチしませんでした。（笑）

1989年には、２丁目で知り合ったクイアな友人（ゲイやバイを含む）と一緒に渋谷でグループ展をしました。おそらくLGBTQを隠さずに一般向けにやった日本で初めての展覧会の一つになっていると思います。

I was born in Shinjuku, but grew up near Ikebukuro. In high school, I was dating a classmate from my all-girls school, so I didn’t feel the need to join queer networks like those in Ni-chōme [a historically gay neighborhood in Shinjuku, Tokyo]. It wasn’t until we broke up in college that I started to take an interest in the lesbian community.

Since I’m bisexual, at first I felt a bit hesitant to go to a lesbian bar alone, so the first place I reached out to was an LGBTQ organization called OCCUR (Japan Association for the Lesbian and Gay Movement). Through them, I learned about various queer groups and started participating in events such as Diamond Cutter, Women’s Weekend, Le-gumi Studio, LABRYS, and so on.

Eventually, I started going to Ni-chōme every weekend. If there had been events every day, I probably would have gone every day too (laughs).

At that time, since there was no internet, most people went to bars with the intention of finding a partner. You could usually tell who was 'tachi' (top) and who was 'neko' (bottom) by their clothes and makeup—it was pretty clear.

I was a tachi, but I liked cross-dressing, and I was into tomboyish nekos, so it was hard to find a good match (laughs).

In 1989, I did a group exhibition in Shibuya with queer friends I had met in Ni-chōme, including gay and bi folks. I think it might have been one of the first public exhibitions in Japan where we didn’t hide our LGBTQ identities.

Anise magazine (1996-2003) was such a formative space for many. Could you tell us about your involvement with it and the broader community surrounding it? Do you consider it an archive of that moment in queer history? Do you have any archival material or photos you’d like to share?

「アニース」が発行される前には「女を愛する女の物語」（宝島社）、「フリーネ」（三和出版）という漫画雑誌、などがすでに出版されていました。当時からのライターの荻原まみさんの交友関係のネットワークで作家、写真家、ライター、小説家さん達が集まって寄稿していました。関わった方々は全員、過去のミニコミ誌レベルではなく全国に流通する規模でのクイア女性によるクイア女性に届ける雑誌を作りたいという情熱があったと思います。

ライターの荻原まみさんとは、OCCURのイベントで会いました。「アニース」は当時の女性クイアの歴史にとって大きな存在だと考えています。雑誌発刊の対象読者を「レズビアン」だけにくくらず、「クイアな女性」（萩原まみさんは「女性を愛する女性」と表現している）にしたことが大きな功績だと考えています。

「女を愛する女の物語」（宝島社）

荻原まみのブログ。「フリーネ」「アニース」発刊の裏話などが読めます。

ここにレズビアン関係のミニコミ誌のラインナップがあります。

Before Anise was published, there were already manga magazines like Stories of Women Who Love Women (Takarajimasha) and Phryne (Sanwa Publishing). Writers, photographers, journalists, and novelists connected through writer Mami Hagiwara’s personal network came together to contribute. I believe everyone involved shared a strong passion to create a magazine by queer women for queer women, on a scale of national distribution beyond the level of zines.

I met Mami Hagiwara at an OCCUR event. I believe Anise was a major milestone in the history of queer women during that era. One of its greatest achievements was that it didn’t limit its target readership to just ‘lesbians’, but rather aimed at 'queer women'—what Hagiwara-san refers to as “women who love women.”

Stories of Women Who Love Women (Takarajimasha)

Mami Hagiwara’s blog (You can read behind-the-scenes stories about the publication of Furīne and Anise)

A lineup of lesbian-related independent zines

What media shaped you growing up, even if it wasn’t explicitly queer? If we were to create an archive of your personal lesbian canon, what would be in it?

80年代は池袋がオルタナティブアートを扱うハブになっていました。中高はよく池袋の美術館や海外アート雑貨を扱う店に立ち寄って居ました。そこでキースヘリングやウォーホールを知り夢中になりました。

大学時代、演劇に深く興味を持ちました。特に寺山修司作品など地下小劇場やテントでの公演、街中でのパフォーマンスなどです。大学の演劇部では舞台美術や照明補佐、音響補佐、制作などをしていました。

舞台と客席がはっきり別れていない、お客さんとインプロで進める参加型の演劇が好きでした。自分の美術作品でもそういうことができたらいいなと思っていました。そして生まれたのが原宿歩行者天国での「あおぞらアート」シリーズです。現在はPeekaboo Sculpture Project, Aliens in NYC, などと名前を変えました。これは路上をいく方々に家族のあり方や結婚などについてのアイデアを出してもらって、アート作品の一部になってもらうプロジェクトです。私は一般的なテーマの中にもクイアを含んだコンセプトの作品にしています。もしも私が私の作品をアーカイヴする時には「Rica ‘tte Kanji」など漫画作品と同時にこれらの参加型アートを入れることになると思います。
・きせかえ家族

・ラブラブセレモニー
・インスタント・ジェンダー

などです。

他には1992年の「第一回東京国際レズビアン・ゲイ・フィルム＆ビデオ・フェスティバル」のカタログにイラストを描いたのでそれを入れます。当時はAubrey Beardsleyが好きで影響を受けて耽美なペン画を描いていました。漫画を描き始める前の時代です。

いくつかの過去作品のPDFをここでダウンロードできます。

In the 1980s, Ikebukuro was a hub for alternative art. During middle and high school, I often stopped by art museums and shops in Ikebukuro that sold imported art goods. That’s where I discovered Keith Haring and Andy Warhol and became fascinated with their work.

In college, I developed a deep interest in theater, especially works by Shuji Terayama, as well as underground plays in small theaters, tent performances, and public street performances. In my university theater club, I worked on stage design, lighting and sound support, and production.

I was drawn to participatory theater plays that blurred the line between stage and audience, and performances that involved improvisation with the audience. I started to think it would be great if I could bring that kind of engagement into my visual art. That led to the creation of my “Aozora Art” series in the Harajuku pedestrian street. It has since evolved into projects like the Peekaboo Sculpture project and Aliens in New York. These involve inviting passersby to share their thoughts on family, marriage, and similar topics, and incorporating their ideas into the artwork itself. My aim is to create works that include queer concepts within broader, universal themes. If I were to archive my works, I would include these participatory art pieces along with manga works like Rica 'tte Kanji.

Kisekae Kazoku (Order Made Family)
Love Love Ceremony
Instant Gender

I also drew an illustration for the catalog of the First Tokyo International Lesbian and Gay Film & Video Festival in 1992, so I’ll include that illustration work as well. At the time, I was into Aubrey Beardsley and was influenced by him, drawing decadent pen illustrations. It was before I started creating manga.

You can download PDFs of some of my past works here.

The fashion in your work is one of my favorite aspects—the outfits are so iconic. How much of your own personal style influenced the fashion in your work? Who or what were your main style references?

私は一時期ファッション商業誌のイラストを描いていました。そこで今流行っている服のトレンドを常に気にするようになりました。クリスチャン・ディオールのスカーフデザインも2年くらいやっていました。そこでハイファッションに魅了されました。今でもファッションウィークのランウェイを動画などで見るのは好きです。

私自身は全くハイファッションには縁がなく、どちらかといえば機能的な動きやすく軽い服が好きです。

For a while, I drew illustrations for commercial fashion magazines. That experience made me constantly aware of current style trends. I also worked on scarf designs for Christian Dior for about two years, which is where I became captivated by high fashion. Even now, I enjoy watching runway shows from Fashion Week on YouTube.

As for my own clothing, I’m not connected to high fashion at all—if anything, I prefer practical clothes that are easy to move in and lightweight.

2. Political Art & Navigating the Art World

How did the economic, political, and cultural conditions of Japan in the late '80s and '90s shape your artistic practice?

日本経済が豊かだったので、無名の私のアートプエジェクトにもスポンサーしてくれる会社がいました。とてもラッキーだったと思います。エプソン、竹尾、アサヒビール、などです。特に藤田建設は美術館ギャラリーを好きに使ってよかったので、原宿の歩行者天国が閉鎖されてからはずっとしばらくはこの場所を使っていました。

Since the Japanese economy was thriving at the time, there were companies willing to sponsor my art projects, despite me being relatively unknown. I think I was really lucky. Some of the sponsors included Epson, Takeo, and Asahi Beer.

Fujita Construction was especially generous. They let me use their museum gallery space freely. After the Harajuku pedestrian street was shut down, I continued using that space for quite some time.

You’ve spoken about how the Japanese art industry discouraged political engagement. What was it like pushing against those boundaries?

私は日本で1番と言われる美術大学、東京藝術大学出身なのですが、この大学は卒業した後は人間国宝として伝統芸術を伝承したり、日本全体の国公立の美術学部の教員になることを目指すことが多く、技術的な芸術至上主義が強く、新しい現代美術や社会に問題を投げかけるような作品をいまだに支持していません。この大学の出身者が日本の文化庁とつながっている以上は日本のアート業界はこのままだと思います。他の美術大学出身者の方が社会性のある作品を発表しています。今後は美術大学ではない東京大学の美術学部の方々がこの先日本の社会と繋がりのあるアートを牽引していくと思います。

2006年、立川国際芸術祭に参加した時は、ジェンダーをテーマにした私の作品を前日に設置したにもかかわらず、翌日行ったら作家の許可もなく裏の部屋に隠されていました。このような事はとても日本で多いのです。有名な事件としては2019年の愛知トリエンナーレの「表現の不自由展」があげられます。

私は自分のテーマが現在の日本社会の規範から外れることは覚悟しています。しかしわざわざ外れることを目的としているわけでないのです。これは私にとってはどうしようもなく避けられない事なのです。

最初にカミングアウトの漫画を書いたときには本当に不安で仕方なかったです。

I graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts, considered the most prestigious art university in Japan. However, many graduates of this school go on to become preservers of traditional arts as Living National Treasures or become professors at public universities across the country. The school strongly upholds a kind of technical artistic supremacism and still does not support new contemporary art or works that confront social issues.

As long as its alumni remain deeply connected to Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs, I believe the art industry here will remain as it is. Artists from other art universities are the ones presenting more socially engaged works. In the future, I think it will be the art faculty of the University of Tokyo—not an art university per se—that will lead socially conscious art in Japan.

In 2006, when I participated in the Tachikawa International Art Festival, my artwork on gender was installed the day before the opening, but when I returned the next day, it had been hidden away in the back room without my permission.

Situations like this are unfortunately very common in Japan. A well-known case is the 2019 “After Freedom of Expression?” Non-Freedom of Expression Exhibition at the Aichi Triennale.

I fully accept that the themes I explore may fall outside the norms of Japanese society, but I don’t create with the intention of being oppositional for its own sake. This is simply something unavoidable for me.

When I first published a manga about my coming out, I was filled with overwhelming anxiety.

Moving to NYC reconnected you with the idea of art as advocacy. How did that shift your artistic practice?

2001年に子供を出産し、全ての時間をアート活動に使わなくなくなりました。しかし今までとは違う視点を手に入れました。それがレズビアンとしてではなく保護者として家族を守るために社会に欠けているものを補うという、というアート活動になったのだと思います。

・Up Standと協働したOne Stop Family Pop Up

https://1stopfamily.blogspot.com

・カナダのオーガニゼーションStop Gapに協力してもらったRamp Project NYC

https://therampprojectnyc.blogspot.com

In 2001, I gave birth to my daughter and I was no longer able to dedicate all of my time to artistic activities. However, I gained a new perspective. I believe my art practice shifted to one that aims to fill gaps in society not as a lesbian, but as a parent seeking to protect my family.

What does making politically engaged work mean to you now? Has that definition changed over time?

1番最初、私は高校3年の時に東京藝術大学の芸術祭に行き、そこで「平和のためのポスター展」を見て、自分の作品が社会を良くする事があれば素晴らしいと思ったのです。その後「ピースボート」という平和活動団体の船旅に1990年に参加し、「ピースボート」の乗船者全員と、「ピースボート」の交流先であった香港大学の有志の方々に、全員に手作りの四角いバッチを無料配布しました。そのバッチを繋ぎ合わせると大きな鳩の絵になりました。今思えばこれが私の1番最初のパブリック／コミュニティアートだったと思います。

大学の頃は演劇に、社会人になってからは商業美術に夢中になり、その後に自分が過去からずっと持っていた日本社会の違和感に疑問を持つ、自分だけの表現を思いついて実践した感じでした。

若い頃は社会的、政治的メッセージを持つアート作品が社会に影響を与えるのではないかとと思っていましたが、今では各個人や所属するコミュニティが自分たちの抱える問題を表現する手段を持つことが政治的にも影響を及ぼしていくのではないかと感じています。まあそれは昔からある手法で、アーティストがギャラリーのために額に入る絵を描くのではなく、街に張るためにポスターを描く行為と変わらないのではありますが。今の時代はトートバッグやバッチやTシャツなどでメッセージを広げるのが1番有効なのではないかと感じています。つまり日常生活の中に社会的アートを持ち込むような方法です。

The very beginning for me was when I was in my final year of high school. I went to the Tokyo University of the Arts art festival and saw the Posters for Peace exhibition. I thought, “How wonderful it would be if my own work could help make society better?”

Later in 1990, I joined a voyage with Peace Boat, a peace-focused NGO. During that trip, I made and freely distributed handmade square badges to all the participants onboard, as well as to volunteers at the University of Hong Kong, one of our exchange destinations. When all the badges were put together, they formed a large image of a dove. Looking back, I think that was my very first experience with public or community art.

In university, I was drawn to theater, and after entering the workforce, I became absorbed in commercial art. Eventually, I began to question the discomfort I had always felt with Japanese society and started to develop a form of expression that was uniquely my own.

When I was younger, I believed that artworks with social or political messages could influence society. But now, I feel that real impact comes when individuals and communities are empowered to express their own issues. That in itself becomes a political act. Of course, this approach isn't new. It’s not so different from the way artists once made posters to put up around town instead of framed works for galleries.

These days, I feel the most effective way to spread a message might be through everyday items like tote bags, badges, and T-shirts. In other words, bringing socially engaged art into daily life.

Are there any artists, past or present, whose work you see as essential in carrying forward this tradition of queer and political storytelling?

政治的かどうかはわかりませんがAlison Bechdel (アリソン・ベクダル)、AlisonさんはBechdel基準を作り映画業界を変えそれが社会に影響しより良い世界を作っている。本当に尊敬しています。

政治的にはYoshiko Shimada,さんです。女性と戦争をテーマに作品を作られています。

それと三島由紀夫かな。三島は戦後日本の右翼として有名でクイアの視点で語られることはあまりなかったが重要なクイア作家であるのは確かだと思う。

I'm not sure if it's political, but I really respect Alison Bechdel. She created the Bechdel Test, which has changed the film industry and had a wider impact on society, helping to create a better world.

Politically speaking, it would be Yoshiko Shimada. She creates works focused on women and war.

And maybe also Yukio Mishima. He's well known as a postwar right-wing figure in Japan, and he's not often discussed from a queer perspective, but I believe he’s undeniably an important queer writer.

3. Queer Joy, Nostalgia & Worldbuilding

Being marginalized is often depicted as purely tragic, but your work has always centered queer joy. What are some moments of quiet joy from your early years that you miss?

私の幼少時のクイアな経験は、残念ながらほぼ全てが悲劇でした。孤独な黒歴史です。

幼少の頃は、唯一「リボンの騎士」という漫画やアニメに夢中になっていました。今細々と描いている「Where is Here?」という漫画zinがありますが、これは小さな女の子のちょっと悲しいお話です。このお話の方がリアルな私の体験に近いです。

Unfortunately, almost all of my queer experiences in childhood were tragic. It’s a lonely, dark chapter of my past.

When I was little, the only thing that truly captivated me was the manga and anime Princess Knight (Ribon no Kishi). I now draw a small zine called Where is Here?, which tells a somewhat sad story about a little girl. That story is actually closer to my real experiences.

Is there anything you feel nostalgic about now that you didn’t realize was special at the time?

2000年に参加したロシアの写真のグループ展”Japanese Seasons 1” supported by Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation Commission of Photographic Art and Heritage (Moscow, RUSSIA)

は、表向きには知らされなかったが、ロシア側のコーディネイトも日本側の作家達もほぼ全員がクイア女性でした。私はきせかえ家族のプロジェクトの記録写真を出しました。

モスクワのレズビアンバーに行ったのですが、ゲイバーなども合わせていくつかが、公立小学校の地下の教室を使って夜間営業してたんですよ。当時も衝撃的だったけど、今もあるのかなああいう場所。

In 2000, I participated in a group photography exhibition in Russia called Japanese Seasons 1, supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation Commission of Photographic Art and Heritage in Moscow.

It wasn’t publicly acknowledged, but in reality, nearly everyone involved, both the coordinators on the Russian side and the participating artists from Japan, were queer women. I exhibited documentary photographs from my Order Made Family project.

We visited lesbian bars in Moscow, and I remember that several bars, including gay bars, were operating at night out of classrooms in public elementary school basements. It was shocking at the time, and I wonder now if places like that still exist?

Rica ‘tte Kanji!? was about building worlds of queer joy—do you feel you’ve been able to materialize that world in your own life?

私の人生と漫画作品は完全には一致してはいません。しかしバーの雰囲気やイベントなどは当時のそのままの様子を描きました。私は漫画の主役のリカのように明るく元気で努力家なタイプじゃないんです。当時のGFがレイジーなトムボーイだったのは事実です。笑

Rica ‘tte Kanjiは、私の経験を元にした、あの時に違った感情や違った選択をしていたらすごくハッピーだったろうな、という演出をしています。

しかし実際の私の人生は理解あるパートナーと娘、そして友人達に恵まれとても満足しています。

My life and Rica ‘tte Kanji? don't completely align, but the atmosphere of the bars and events in the story is drawn just as it really was at the time.

I’m not like Rica, the cheerful, energetic, and hardworking main character. I’m not that type, though it’s true my girlfriend back then was a lazy tomboy (laughs)!

Rica ‘tte Kanji!? is based on my experiences, but it’s also a kind of wishful reimagining, portraying how things might have felt if I’d made different choices or had different emotions back then. Maybe things would’ve been a lot happier that way.

I’m very happy with my real life now, with a supportive partner, a daughter, and wonderful friends.

Do you think of joy itself as an archival material? How do you see it functioning in your work?

とても面白い質問です。私はアーカイブとは物理的またはデジタルで保存しその背景をできる限り個人の感想を抑えて説明するものだと考えていました。感情をアーカイブするという考えはしたことがありません。確かに作品をアーカイブする時にはそこにまつわる何かしらの感情は必ず生まれますね。

Rica ‘tte Kanjiをアーカイブする時には時代や場所のタグをつける以外にもjoy, などのタグをつけるのは賛成です。少なくとも私は鑑賞者にjoyを感じて欲しいと考えて制作したからです。

That’s a very interesting question. I had always thought of archiving as something meant to preserve materials physically or digitally while explaining the context as objectively as possible, minimizing personal impressions. I’d never considered the idea of archiving emotions. But it’s true that some kind of feeling inevitably arises when archiving a work.

When it comes to archiving Rica ‘tte Kanji!?, I do agree with tagging it not only with time and place, but also with something like “joy.” At the very least, I created it with the hope that viewers would feel joy when reading it.

What are the biggest changes you’ve noticed in how younger queer generations navigate identity and community?

これは国よって大きく状況が変わると思います。

昔と比較したら、心、体、セクシャリティーの多様性の情報が一般に広まってとても良い傾向だと思います。そして当事者やアライがアウトリーチ活動や法整備に向けてのロビー活動などを行って政治の現場にいるクイアも現れました。

日本に関しては同性婚もまだ実施されていないのでこれが大きな課題だと思います。

NYCのマンハッタンだけでなく、私が住むクイーンズエリアの小さな町でもLGBTQの若い人が多く住みつき、レストランやクッキー屋さんなどを開き、地域に溶け込んでいます。自分たちが隠れた存在としてではなく自然に合うティングしているのがこの5年くらいで感じたことです。

I think the situation varies greatly depending on the country.

Compared to the past, it’s a very positive shift that information about the diversity of mind, body, and sexuality has become more widely available. We now see people from the community and allies engaging in outreach, lobbying for legal reforms, and even appearing in political spaces as queer representatives.

In Japan, same-sex marriage still hasn’t been legalized, so I see that as a major issue.

Here in New York City, not just in Manhattan, but even in the smaller towns of Queens where I live, I’ve noticed more and more young LGBTQ people settling down. They’re opening restaurants, cookie shops, and becoming part of the local community. What I’ve felt over the past five years is that they’re no longer trying to remain hidden. They’re integrating naturally, just as they are.

4. Migration, Family & Community

What was it like moving to New York and finding a queer community there?

私が1番最初に出会ったクイアコミュニティは、マンハッタンのレズビアンバーで出会ったエリカさんでした。彼女はYURICONという百合アニメや漫画のファンコミュニティをやっていました。エリカと出会っていなかったら今の私はないと思います。エリカの立ち上げた出版社で私の漫画は英訳出版されました。

他には漫画翻訳家の森本まりが所属するPacific Islander のクイア女性グループのQ-wave,　 Jennifer Camperの紹介してくれたレズビアンカートニストのコミュニティ、Ivan Velezが紹介してくれたクイア男性のアーティスティクなコミュニティなど。Camperのパンクで過激な漫画やIvanのTales of the Closetを読んだ時は感銘を受けました。世界で別々の場所で同時期に私たちは苦しみ悩み、勇気を出して表現していた。そして出会うことができた仲間だと思えたからです。

The very first queer community I encountered was through Erica Friedman whom I met at a lesbian bar in Manhattan. She ran Yuricon, a fan community for yuri anime and manga. If I hadn’t met Erica, I don’t think I’d be who I am today. It was through the publishing company she founded that my manga was translated and published in English.

There were others too, like Q-Wave, a group of queer Pacific Islander women that manga translator Mari Morimoto was a part of as well as the community of lesbian cartoonists introduced to me by Jennifer Camper, and the artistic queer men’s community I connected with through Ivan Velez.

I was deeply moved when I read Camper’s punk radical comics and Ivan’s Tales of the Closet. In different parts of the world, at the same time, we were all struggling, hurting, and still mustering the courage to express ourselves. It made me feel like we were connected as if we were companions who had finally found each other.

How was the experience of raising children while navigating life in a new country?

賃貸アパートに関しては悲惨でした。2回騙されて2回弁護士にお願いすることになったので。子供の教育に関しては全てが新鮮で楽しかったです。また子供を持つ家庭の地域コミュニティに参加しました。そこでは今までのようなアートのコミュニティとも違って子供を通しての新しい出会いがありました。

My experience with rental apartments was terrible. I was scammed twice and had to hire a lawyer both times.

On the other hand, everything about my child’s education was new and enjoyable. I also got involved in a local community of families with children. It was a very different experience from the art communities I had been part of until then. Through my child, I encountered a whole new circle of people.

Did you feel a difference in how queerness was understood in Japan versus in the U.S.? How did that impact your sense of self or your work?

私が日本にいた時代は、クイアという言葉は主に女装している男性に対して使われていた気がします。私はクイアに対してはあまり興味がなく、自分の理解の解像度は低いと感じていました。

アメリカに来てから、The Trever Projectの紹介ビデオなどを見てから、LGBTQのQはクイアでもあるがQuestion,つまりまだ自分自身の体、性や心を定義できてない人も全て含むという彼らの定義を受けてからは、クイアという言葉が自分自身にスッと入ってきた気がしました。　名前がはっきりとついていない、言葉の定義がされていない、人によって受け止め方が変わる、定型とはちょっと外れたユニークなものは全てクイアなのかなと思っています。これは2015年にQUEERS&COMICSというカンファレンスで配布したブロンクス美術館での展示のチラシです。

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/8uk7j3mhw8mmopyp2typh/Queers-Comics_flyer.png?rlkey=i0o5w4bkpqcz0lsmvxpr4uazc&st=8ic8cxtn&dl=0

When I was living in Japan, the word queer was mostly used to refer to cross-dressing men, or so it seemed to me. I wasn’t very interested in the term back then, and I felt my own understanding of it was quite limited.

After coming to the U.S., I watched an introduction video from The Trevor Project, and it helped shift my perspective. They explained that the “Q” in LGBTQ can stand for queer, but also for questioning—people who haven’t yet defined their body, gender, or sense of self. That definition really resonated with me and helped the word “queer” finally make sense in relation to myself.

I now think that anything that doesn’t have a clearly fixed name, that resists being pinned down by strict definitions, and that is received differently depending on the person, that kind of unique, slightly off-center identity or expression, might all be considered queer.

This is a flyer from an exhibition at the Bronx Museum that I handed out at the Queers & Comics conference in 2015.

5. Looking Back, Looking Forward & Intergenerational Wisdom

As someone who has lived through multiple generations of queer history, what changes have been the most striking to witness?

百合やレズビアンという言葉が、男性向けのポルノの意味でなくなった事です。

It’s that the words yuri and lesbian have moved away from being associated solely with male-oriented pornography in Japan.

If you could give advice to younger queer artists and activists today, what would it be?

今は何も思い浮かびません。むしろ私が彼らから新しい技術や新しい感性を学びたいと思ってます。

Right now, nothing particular comes to mind. If anything, I feel like I want to learn from them about their new techniques and fresh sensibilities.

If you could place one piece of your work in an archive for future generations to discover, what would it be and why?

顔出しくんのシリーズ：「みうらさん？」です。

これは、まだ会ったこともない誰か知らない「みうら」という人物がが、一体どんな人なのかを想像して、アートの参加者は、みうらの顔出しくんに顔をはめて記念撮影します。そして今の自分と「みうら化」した自分はどう違うのかを想像してもらいます。「みうら化」した証拠に「みうらID」をもらって、顔出しくんのモデルとなっている本物のみうらさんと対面するアートです。

映画や本などで人々は主役や悪役に自分を投影して楽しむことができます。しかし自分が「自分以外の全く知らない何かになる想像」するアート経験の機会はなかなか無いと思うのでこの作品を紹介したいです。

It would be the Peekaboo Sculpture series: "Miura-san?"

This is a participatory art project where the audience imagines who “Miura” might be, a person they’ve never met and don’t know anything about. Participants place their face into a Kaodashikun (face cut-out board) of “Miura” and take a commemorative photo. Then, they’re invited to imagine how they feel as their current self compared to their “Miura-ized” self.

As proof of their transformation, they receive a “Miura ID.” Finally, they get to meet the real “Miura,” the person who inspired the Peekaboo Board model.

In movies or books, people often project themselves onto heroes or villains for fun, but I feel that opportunities to truly imagine becoming someone entirely unknown—someone completely different from oneself—are rare. That’s why I want to introduce this piece.

7. Archive of Feelings & Personal Narratives

Your work often engages with themes of playfulness and queer joy. Do you see your art as an archive of your own life? If so, what emotions, relationships, or moments do you think are most visible within it?

表現が楽しいから私自身が楽しい人間か？は置いといても、作品は常に私の人生を反映していると感じています。だから作品が私の人生のアーカイブだと言えると思います。

大きく分けて

1.LBGTQや男尊女卑の社会についての漫画や路上アート

2.身の回りに存在する物について

3.弱者、移民や保護者の視点からのコミュニティサービス的なアートプロジェクト

4.そして今まだ未定ではあるが考えているのは難病についてのアウトリーチプロジェクトです。これはコロナパンデミック期間中に私自身が間質性膀胱炎になって、目に見えない病気を持つことの困難さを感じて、それを悲劇ではなく何かもっとスタイリッシュな形でアウトリーチしていけないかなと考えているところです。

それと2025年になって発達障害の本人や家族の会に参加し始めたのですが、こういった経験も漫画にできないかなと思っています。

Cursor Magazineのこれらの質問で「Joyを筆頭にした様々な感情」が繰り返し出てきますが、今振り返ってみるに、私の創造の根源は自分自身の苦しみや怒りであることを、今、思い出しました。ありがとうございます。

Whether or not I'm a joyful person just because I find expression enjoyable is another question. But I do feel that my work always reflects my life. That’s why I believe my work itself can be seen as an archive of my life.

Broadly speaking, my work falls into these categories:

Manga and street art about LGBTQ issues and male-dominated society.
Works focusing on everyday objects around our life.
Community-based art projects from the perspective of immigrants, caregivers, and others.

Though it's still in the idea, I'm thinking about an outreach project on chronic illness. During the COVID pandemic, I developed interstitial cystitis and experienced firsthand how difficult it is to live with an invisible illness. I’d like to explore ways to turn that experience into something not tragic, but rather more stylish and approachable as outreach.

Also, in 2025, I started participating in a support group for people with developmental disabilities and their families. I’m now wondering if I could turn some of those experiences into manga as well.

In these questions from Cursor Magazine, emotions, especially joy, keep coming up again and again. And now, as I reflect, I’ve remembered something: the true root of my creativity has always been my own suffering and anger.

Thank you for helping me realize that.

What pieces of your work do you feel have been misinterpreted or forgotten?

今思い出しましたが、１９９4年に「おみくじアート」をやりました。お客さんが無作為に選んだ言葉を展示作品のタイトルにするという展示でした。あれは面白い試みだったので、いつかもう一回やりたいです。

1989年に渋谷でやったLGBTQのグループ展も記録があまりないです。実家のどこかに写真があるとは思うのですが出てきたらアーカイブしておきたいと思います。

I just remembered that in 1994, I did an exhibition called Omikuji Art (Fortune Telling Art). It was an exhibit where visitors randomly selected words, and those words became the titles of the works on display. It was an interesting experimental art project, and I’d love to do it again someday.

There’s also the LGBTQ group exhibition I did in 1989 in Shibuya, but there aren’t many records of it. I think there might be photos somewhere at my parents' house, and if I found them, I’d like to archive them.

What emotions do you think were most present in the process of making your earliest work versus now?

初期の作品は「怒りや苦しさ」ですね。多くの人たちが弱者に対して無関心であることへの怒り、など。

最近はそういう怒りは消えている気がします。

コロナパンデミックの時の作品感情は「不安」でした。

これからはもうちょっとポジティブな感情で作品制作したいですw

My early works were driven by anger and pain. I felt how indifferent many people are to the suffering of the vulnerable and so on.

Recently, though, I feel like that anger has faded.

During the COVID pandemic, the emotion behind my work was anxiety.

Going forward, I’d like to create works with more positive emotions (laughs)!

Across these questions, we’ve touched on different meanings of "archive"—from physical collections to emotional and symbolic histories. How do you personally define "archive" in your practice?
処分しないで私の手元に残そうと考えているアーカイブは、社会に少しでも影響を与えたであろう漫画やアート作品やその写真、雑誌などです。「アニース」などの雑誌は私が手元に持っているよりも、大学図書館などに寄付した方が研究者のお役に立てると思うので、そういうものはどんどん寄付していきたいと考えています。

路上で使ってきたPeekaboo-Sculptureに関してはほとんどが今NYCで保存してあるが、将来的には写真のデータのみ残して破棄する可能性があります。漫画に関しては将来はオープンソースにすると思います。オリジナル原稿の破棄は考えていませんが、どうなるかわかりません。

数年前にブラウン大学図書館で「アニース」を寄付した方が “レズビアン雑誌”としてアーカイブしたことがありましたが、それは正確ではなく「アニース」は“女性を愛する女性”または“クイア女性”のタグに変更して欲しいと伝えたことがあります。

今Cursor Magazineのこれらの質問を答えることで、私は物理的なタグづけだけでなく、感情や私的な背景説明も非常に重要であることに気がつきました。

今後、自分の作品を整理してウェブサイトなどを作るときには、

物理的に残っている作品

データのみ残っている作品

それらに関する評論などの記録

それらに関しての自分自身の感情や時代背景

鑑賞者に対して伝えたい感情

のタグを使ってアーカイブしたいと思います。

The archives I plan to keep with me are works of manga and art as well as photos and magazines that I believe may have had some impact on society. For magazines like Anise, I think they would be more useful to researchers if I donated them to university libraries rather than keeping them myself, so I plan to donate those kinds of materials whenever possible.

As for the Peekaboo-Sculptures used in public installations, most are currently stored in NYC. In the future, I may dispose of the physical pieces and keep only photographic data. Regarding my manga, I’m considering making them open source someday. I’m not planning to discard the original manuscripts but, then again, the future is unpredictable.

A few years ago, someone who donated Anise to the Brown University Library had it archived under the label “lesbian magazine,” but I let them know that wasn’t accurate. I requested that it be changed to “women who love women” or “queer women,” which better reflects the magazine’s intent.

Through answering these Cursor Magazine questions, I’ve come to realize how important it is not only to apply physical tags but also to include emotional and personal context.

In the future, when I organize my work and possibly create a website, I’d like to use tags such as:

Works that physically still exist
Works preserved only as data
Records of commentary or criticism related to the work
My personal emotions and the social context at the time
The emotions I hope to convey to the viewer

This is how I’d like to approach archiving going forward.

8. Archival Politics & Art as Preservation

Your projects function as both art and historical documentation. How do you approach creating a body of work that is both educational and emotionally resonant?

のようなあなたのプロジェクトは、芸術であると同時に歴史的記録としても機能しています。教育的でありながら感情に訴える作品群を制作するために、どのようなアプローチをとっているのでしょうか？

この作品を作ったのは日本に住んでいた時代です。確かに当時の記録になると思いますが、私が作品を描いた目的は記録としてでもなく教育目的でもなかったと思います。私は一般の方々が、あまりにも他人の困り事に関して興味がなく共感もしない事に疑問と怒りを感じていました。その怒りや疑問が作品制作にかきたてたという感じなのです。

I created Tokyo Love ~ Rica 'tte Kanji! when I was still living in Japan. While I agree that the work now serves as a historical record of that time, I don’t think my original intention was to document history or to educate. What really drove me to make the work was a sense of anger and frustration. I was deeply troubled by how ordinary people seemed to have so little interest in, or empathy for, the struggles of others. That feeling of disconnection, of people not caring about others' problems, was what stirred me to create. My motivation came from that anger and questioning, not from a desire to educate.

In English, there are two words: sympathy and empathy. However, in Japanese, a word for sympathy exists but not for empathy.

だけど日本語では主にSympathyを意味する単語が使われる。

How do you tend to the physical accumulation of your work? Do you actively preserve your past projects, or do you let them live in memory and circulation? Do you collect other people's work?

過去に商業関係の出来上がったポスターなどの仕事そのものやアート活動の情報なども含めて物理的に保存できるものはほとんど残してきました。実際に私が米国の永住権を取得するために、それらの保存された情報は大変に役立ちました。

今の時代はもう提出すべき情報などはデータでのやり取りになっているので、情報雑誌などは画像にだけ残して処分していこうと考えています。

百合漫画の同人誌、雑誌コレクションについては私が持っていたものは全てYURICONのエリカさんに寄贈しました。ですから彼女のネットワークで日本の漫画についての研究者が役に立ててくれるかもしれません。

ここ数年の私の反省点なのですが、私はプロジェクトごとにWebサイトを作ってきたが、全てをまとめたRicaTakashima.comのようなWebサイトを持っていないのです。まだ記憶があるうちに残しておきたいと考えています。

In the past, I’ve managed to physically preserve most of the work I’ve done, including such as completed posters and other commercial projects, as well as information related to my art activities. In fact, these preserved materials were incredibly helpful when I applied for U.S. permanent residency.

Nowadays, most of the information I need to submit is exchanged digitally, so I’m considering keeping only data of images of things like magazines and disposing of the physical copies.

As for my collection of yuri manga zines and magazines, I donated everything I had to Erica of Yuricon. Hopefully, her network will be able to benefit researchers of Japanese Yuri/lesbian manga and zines.

A point of reflection for me in recent years is that while I’ve created websites for each project, I don’t yet have a single consolidated website like a “RicaTakashima.com” that brings everything together. I would like to create one before the memories fade.

How do you feel about institutional archives? Do you see value in placing your work in formal archives, or do you prefer more organic modes of preservation?

自分の記録としてのアーカイブをしてきたので、他者であれ団体であれ私の作品をアーカイブしてもらう事を考えたことがありません。ただ漫画原稿に関しては同世代の友人の漫画原稿が美術館のコレクションになっているので、私の場合もそうなるといいなと思っています。破棄するのはちょっと悲しいと思っています。

Since I’ve always archived my own records, I’ve never really considered having others or organizations archive my work. However, regarding my manga manuscripts, I’ve seen that some of my peers' manga original works have been included in museum collections, and I hope the same will happen for mine. I feel it would be sad to dispose of them.

Rica Takashima reminds us that art can be a bridge, not just between people, but between versions of ourselves. She dances between who we are, who we were afraid to be, and who we might become. Through comics, public engagement, and the soft defiance of joyful resistance, Rica shows that transformation doesn’t always come from grand gestures, but rather, from honest, everyday acts of participation. Rica’s work holds space for both discomfort and excitement, for empathy and self-invention. In doing so, she offers us a world where difference is not a barrier but a site of celebration.

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