Whilst in London a few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to check out the Cute Exhibition there! A friend of mine on Facebook alerted me about it weeks beforehand so you can imagine how elated I was that my visit there would coincide with this. What made it even more special is that the exhibition featured Hello Kitty! Lots of it too. As you gathered in some of my art work, I’m a huge fan and crazy collector of this sweet little feline character! The exhibition, though, also shows us on a larger scale the evolution of “cute” and how this concept has developed into the creative world. Many artists around the globe have caught onto the idea of bringing our childhood dreams into adult reality. Hence we bought our tickets days before to secure a time slot to avoid disappointment. I really couldn’t wait to be there!
Lots of Hello Kitty
That’s right, what drew me to this exhibition was Hello Kitty. She’s labeled as “the ambassador of cuteness”, and why are we not surprised? Her giant statue firstly stands right next to Sommerset House, where the exhibition is held. Upon entering, you come across a huge room introducing Hello Kitty and how this character became such an icon. Another reason why she’s been featured here is that we mark the 50th Anniversary since she was “born” coincidentally too in London, as the story goes. In the two big cabinets sit a few vintage Hello Kitty merchandise, some of which funnily enough I also happen to have in my collection too! Most impressive, though, was the myriad of Hello Kitty plushies being piled up and made as a wall decoration. My partner teased me though that even this can’t beat my extensive collection at home! On the downside, the Hello Kitty Disco was a bit meh most probably because the music was not really that cute, if not even a bit annoying, and hence didn’t fit with the “cute” atmosphere.
Some Cute Art
The second part of the exhibition featured paintings and creative artwork from all over the world. Not just Japan but also the U.S., for instance. Below are some examples and a selected few of my favorites which I feel are relevant to the cute concept. I love for instance the vague characters and creatures. Are they animals? Or what kind of animals are they? Or cute little monsters? They seem to be characters that we imagine and introduce in our creative minds as we get in touch with our inner child. Those cats in the glass display are also an example of what we imagine or wish our cats to portray. And the two anime paintings are like a fantasy. One is dreamy, the other is quirky. In my artwork too you may have noticed a little play with fictional characters with enhanced cuteness. It is my way of getting in touch with our inner child as well, recalling the happier parts of my own childhood to soothe our troubles of everyday life. A way to relieve stress and iron out negative emotions. Hence, this section too was an important feature of the exhibition.
What am amazing few hours that was! Although not as extensive as most art exhibitions are, it was enough to get me inspired creatively. Certainly got my cute “thinking cap” going and gave me a boost in getting creative again despite my hectic schedule. I found a few paintings too to give me some ideas, and once I get the time I hope to get started soon. And to top it off, it was further the Hello Kitty that got me motivated!
Cute Exhibition is on till 15 April in London. For more info, please click here!
My Kawaii Quarter 