Last week, I incorrectly labeled all artwork featured at the Powerhouse as Japanese. I thought it must be Japanese since they’re celebrating the launch of a Japanese toy camera company and serving Japanese beer and featuring Japanese DJs. I’m glad I made that mistake because it led me to read a little bit more about what the images were really of.

Taken from a basement of punk venue D-22 in Beijing, the portraits document the lively underground scene that thrives despite the country’s limiting socialist ideals and government-controlled media. Photographer Matthew Niederhauser captures the absolute passion in all of the musicians’ faces. Punk’s true form is far from dead in Beijing.

In addition to Niederhauser’s photographs, the book Sound Kapital also features poster illustrations by Beijing graphic novelist Ca Zhuxi.

If you want to learn more about the book, visit the website, or even better, attend the book’s launch party at the Powerhouse Arena this Thurday! Powerhouse Arena is located at 37 Front St. in Dumbo, Brooklyn (York St. stop on the F train). The launch party takes place from 7 until 9:30.

See you all there!

all images © Matthew Niederhauser

The Superheadz launch party was an extremely pleasant experience. There’s nothing better than being able to drink some beer and wine while wandering through a bookstore with some crazy beats spinning as your background music. I could have spent hours in there reading through all the books. I ended up buying the New York’s Bravest (collection of photo essays from the Daily news..I was a photojournalism major) for five bucks and taking some really sneaky pictures of all the guests. A few hysterically awkward interactions came out of it. I don’t know how New Yorkers got such a terrible reputation, cause behind the rushed, tense personalities, are some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet.

Anyway, the art on the walls featured several portraits of punked out characters from Tokyo, graphic design posters for a Japanese band, and a few architectural pieces. It wasn’t anything particularly amazing, but it certainly made me want to travel to Japan. It would have been nice to be able to actually play with the cameras a bit more, but I guess that would be way too trusting of people with beers in their hands.

edit: The portraits, I have learned, are actually of Chinese punks documented in a book called Sound Kapital. The architecture is NOT of Tokyo and is actually of Beijing. Thanks to a girl named Amy who pointed it out in my personal blog. It was unfortunate, but there were no captions on the walls. BUT Sound Kapital’s launch party is this Thursday at the same place. good stuff.
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Japanese toy camera company Superheadz is having a launch party tomorrow at the Powerhouse in Brooklyn. They’ll be featuring several wonderful machines including some colorful twin-lens reflex cameras as seen above.

If you’re a fan of cheaply priced colorful 35 mm cameras that produce some stunning images, check out the event at 37 Main Street in Dumbo, BK tomorrow night from 7p.m.-10p.m. Free Japanese beer is nice too. I believe it’s free to get in as long as you send an RSVP to RSVP@powerhousearena.com Asians, photography, music and beer.. your Friday nights don’t get much better.

See you there!