Skip to main content
Donate
  • Artbound

Giant Robot: Asian Pop Culture and Beyond

Giant Robot was a bimonthly magazine that profoundly affected Asian American pop culture.

Giant Robot was a bimonthly magazine that created an appetite for Asian and Asian American pop culture, exploring Sawtelle Boulevard as a Japanese American enclave. Founded in 1994 and driven by Eric Nakamura and Martin Wong, it resulted in a legacy of Asian American artists that achieved worldwide recognition such as James Jean.

Available Materials
Screening Guide icon
Giant Robot Screening Guide
Download a guide to support your screening.
NOTE: You must log in to download.
Screening Portal Invite icon
Invitation
Customize our invitation to make your even a success.
NOTE: You must log in to download.
Media Alert Icon
Media Alert
Use this media alert template to share you event with local media.
NOTE: You must log in to download.
Promotional Toolkit Icon
Promotional Toolkit
Download this promotional toolkit, customizable marketing assets, and suggested posts to get the word out.
NOTE: You must log in to download.
Articles Icon
Connecting the Dots: Oxy Arts Exhibition Links Moments of Asian American Activism, Art and Collectives Throughout History
The exhibition, "Voice a Wild Dream: Moments in Asian American Art and Activism, 1968-2022" dives deep into the art and activism of several Asian American publications and collectives from today and yesterday.
Articles Icon
Gidra: The 1970s Provocative Magazine That Fought Anti-Asian Sentiment
What started as a monthly paper in 1969 geared towards Asian American students at UCLA soon expanded to the greater Los Angeles community.
Two men are seated in front of a table filled with magazines that read "Giant Robot" on each cover. One man is holding an open magazine and pointing at something inside while the other man leans over the table to look. They are in what appears to be a closet, surrounded by shelves filled with stacks of magazines and other mementos.
Full Episode
NOTE: You must register your screening for download access.
Log In
Clip Icon
Giant Robot Magazine: For You, By You (Clip)
NOTE: You must register your screening for download access.
Log In
Clip Icon
Navigating Asian American Identity (Clip)
NOTE: You must register your screening for download access.
Log In
Clip Icon
Ahead of the Artworld (Clip)
NOTE: You must register your screening for download access.
Log In

Recommended Screening Programs
"La Maggie La Loca," an issue of Love & Rockets, is featured in ARTBOUND Season 13. Courtesy of KCET.

Love & Rockets

Rubén 'Funkahuatl' Guevara from ARTBOUND Season 12 Opener "Con Safos." Courtesy of Getty Images.

Con Safos: The Story of Chicano Music Pioneer Rubén Funkahuatl Guevara

A pioneer of Chicano rock 'n' roll, Rubén Funkahuatl Guevara recounts his life in music, performance art and activism — from his time as lead singer of the doo-wop band The Apollo Brothers, his collaborations with Frank Zappa and Cheech Marin, and his crossover into the Chicano performance art world of the 1960s and 1970s — all of which shaped Mexican American culture.
A painting depicts an 1830s mountain man wearing a fringed buckskin jacket. The man is sitting atop a white horse and is carrying a large, smoking gun. A wide-brimmed hat sits on his head and a red scarf/bandana is tied around his neck.

Imagined Wests: Painting a Multilayered Picture of the West