Gaijin Parade • Matt Leines

The Japanese word gaijin is a conflation of two descriptors: gai meaning “outside” and jin meaning “person.” Typically a term reserved for foreigners, this illustrated zine by the Brooklyn-based Matt Leines presents a celebratory sequence of extra-anthro caricatures ranging from the abject to the abstractly naïve. Employing a graphic ‘80s geometry, the textures of early-internet digital illustration programs, and the influence of Japanese anime, Gaijin Parade is a gallery-style freak show of surrealistic and absurdist delight.