Robert Truszkowksi | WEEB
Estevan Art Gallery & Museum 118 4 Street, Estevan, Saskatchewan S4A 0T4
Robert Truszkowksi, “WEEB,” no date
(courtesy of the Gallery)
The concept for this exhibition is a bit hard to untangle. I have given it the title, WEEB, which is also the title of the paper lanterns installation. Weeb is a slightly pejorative term, one sometimes given to Westerners who are obsessed with Japanese culture; typically Manga and Anime. Urban Dictionary, among others, defines a Weeb as an “unsociable white male, obsessed with Japan, who lives alone in their parents’ basement”. Not exactly a compliment! But in recent years, Weebs have sort of reclaimed this name, taking pride in their weirdness, and finding a community of like-minded folx, connected by the internet and social media. Language is powerful, and the act of this reclamation, much like the term nerd or geek, has earned Weebs a well-deserved reprieve from cowering in basements, afraid that some kid at their highschool (or office job, for that matter) might out them as uncool. Weebs (and nerds and geeks) rise up!
