Sakevi Yokoyama

Sakevi Yokoyama (19??-Present) has published little information about himself. He was most well known for a band represented by the acronym G.I.S.M. in the early 80's that functioned as a bristling social scraping of the fluffy 1980's sense of growth and whitewashing that covered up so much turbulent history. Borrowing imagery from Japan's period of alliance with Nazi Germany through the Japanese diaspora, bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and international sectarian violence of the 70's, Sakevi began winding a graphic identity of unrest and sickness. His live performances were done clad in military attire, balaclavas and brandished fists. He inspired violence at his shows and grew uneasy when the crowd was passive, so the band began to lash out further. Throwing mic stands, fighting the audience and eventually graduating to lashing a lit acetylene torch into the front rows of the theatre were his means of pulling any semblance of comfort out from the young demographic which attended his show. Other bands were inspired by his violence, such as Hanatarashi, fronted by Yamantanka Eye. Eye roadied for a fairly wild dystopian avante-guarde band called Einstürzende Neubauten. He borrowed elements of the avante-guarde performance with Sakevi's anti-glam-punk aesthetic and message of upheaval, literally driving a bulldozer through the stage and venue as the rest of the band and audience watched in terror.

Sakevi's art was not only performative, he was a fantastic printer and generated the image of G.I.S.M., shielding it from punk bootleggers by swearing physical harm to anyone copying his prints (which was backed up). Posters and flyers did not advertise necessarily the band, but the prevailing dictated anarchronistic and ahistorical fable of success Japan was exhibiting. Directing videos featuring his printed works interlaced with Vietnam War footage. A series of zines interviewing coroners, avante-guarde artists, terrorists, and Japanese hardcore bands.

He continued printing this after his label and the band G.I.S.M. stopped generating music. He created one solo work under the acronym "S.K.V." and then began his printing career under the title of "stlTH."