I just spent this evening attending a special exhibition on art related to Hello Kitty, a feline character first introduced in Japan over three decades ago. Seoul is the third stop of this exhibition, after Tokyo and Hong Kong. The exhibition took place on the top floor of 63 Building, which was the tallest building in Asia when first completed in 1985, and still is one of the taller buildings of Seoul.
This is by Nam Kong of Hong Kong; this trio of photos shows three teenage girls dressed in Lolita style, with Hello Kitty faces in different moods superimposed. Lolita is a very frilly, lacy, popular style in Japan, sometimes mixed with gothic themes. The point of this art: Hello Kitty expresses teeny bopper emotions well.I don't see Lolita girls here in Seoul. On the other hand, the Koreans make great hosiery/legwear (here, you can buy the best pair of tights you've ever had, for 3,000 won, or USD $2.50), and most women express themselves through their hosiery choices. That also makes Ally McLesbian miniskirts (or cute, comfortable tunics) must-have items, so that you can showcase as much of your hosiery-clad legs as possible (hopefully without flashing your bums).
This Hello Kitty unicorn is by Keiko Itakura of Japan. She says that this is something Hello Kitty brought back from her dream, and also adds that for Kitty, dream and reality are one and the same.Behind me, there is a series of four photos showing a newborn boy wearing nothing but a Hello Kitty mask. As I said in my post two days ago, it's a good thing in Korean culture to showcase baby boys naked. But I didn't capture them, as to the American eye, it's child porn, and I can't afford to get Christy and myself in trouble. We are in enough trouble over our opposition to the W regime already!
Kim Hyeon-seong took this photo of a naughty young woman wearing a Kitty bra. Her love of Hello Kitty shows an innocent side of her.
Ahn Mi-hyeon asked 32 questions to Hello Kitty, and here are four of the answers.
Byeon Dae-yong showcases these two Hello Kitties. The left Kitty has a scar on her forehead, and both Kitties have round ears instead of the normal triangular ears. The meaning of this art: it's okay to be different, something well forgotten in the homogeneous, conformist South Korean society.
Shin Myeong-hwan has several pieces of art here. This drawing shows King Kong scaling the 63 Building, to attend the Hello Kitty exhibition on the top floor and show his love for Hello Kitty.The 63 Building is located in Yeouido, an island which is nicknamed "Seoul's Manhattan" due to its preponderance of skyscrapers and financial institutions, and lack of single-story buildings. That would make the 63 Building Seoul's answer to both the Empire State Building and the now-destroyed World Trade Center, though the 63 Building is more cramped than either.
Here's another sketch. A man loved Hello Kitty so much, that when he reported for his required two years of military service, he showed up in a pink uniform and an assortment of Hello Kitty gear.
The same artist also did an animation art. In "Find Hello Kitty," Kitty hides among the lines of snowmen at the ice cream factory. The snowman in the front stall is crapping into the empty cones, so that the ice cream can be sold to you - and you will eat it.This animation is being shown on a flat-panel PAVV TV. In the South Korean domestic market, all Samsung flat-panels carry the PAVV brand, while LG models carry the XCanvas brand; export versions use the standard Samsung and LG brands.
Disco Kitty, artist unknown. Kitty enjoys high fashion.
Lee Wa-shin did this "Kitty's Garden." The images on the back screen portray the Seoul riverside view in accelerated time.
A "thrill floor," where Hello Kitty stands guard over a raised section of glass floor, with mirrors underneath.There are warning messages for visitors wearing skirts and dresses, for obvious reasons. Seriously, I have better things to do than remind everyone else on this floor that I look like Mann Coulter under my Ally McLesbian mini. (Fortunately, I was in slacks.)
On a few windows are examples of how to portray Hello Kitty in ASCII, using various popular fonts. This is the OCR font.
Instructions on how to draw Hello Kitty, straight from the creator.That's all, folks!
5 comments:
Incredibly cool!
I have discovered a lot of attention to children through your postings. I'm really impressed. The snowman crapping into the cones is absolutely hilarious. Kids would find that so much fun - naughty toilet humor. And I've just seen a documentary on Hello Kitty from Japan.
It's hard to understand how such a simple idea has grown and developed to encompass all ages and racial mixes. Hello Kitty is almost as big as Star Wars.
DiAnne - thanks! Make sure to look at all the turtle art I've posted here for you in the last few weeks.
woz - Any attempts at children's focus for me are purely coincidental. :)
Ally McRepuke
woz
If you go back to the crapping snowman, you will note that he's not sitting on a modern toilet, but squatting. That's the traditional Korean crapping position, as toilets have long been nothing more than a pit with a holed wooden cover. It wasn't unheard of for the cover to collapse, and for you to fall into the pool of crap below.
Today, all toilets flush, and many toilets are of the sit-down Western variety, but some toilets still do require you to squat. At least these modern squat toilets have a flap in front, to protect your privacy (or in my case, make sure that nobody knows I look like Mann Coulter between my legs). Actually, modern toilets all have good stall partitions, so it's impossible to even accidentally look at a neighbor anyway (and a major consideration, as here in South Korea, a number of male peeping toms are known to hide in ladies' rooms).
I briefly mentioned the high-quality legwear here in South Korea, and with the squat toilets, good legwear with lots of elasticity is a must, as you must spread your legs, and you don't want to get a run as you do so. And those miniskirts and tunics are also a practical consideration, as they are less likely to drag on the floor as you squat down.
In addition to toilet considerations, a menswear-inspired tunic shirt worn over tights also sends out a sexy message: "I just got out of my boyfriend's bed, and borrowed his shirt for today." Many young women sport that look, a bit surprising in the traditionally conservative society here. Even this hopelessly hardcore lesbian is known to sport that message often back in the US, though I don't like the resulting stares from men.
Formerly Ally McLesbian
HAHAHAHA!
I love Hello Kitty, but that snowman is disturbing.
Post a Comment