Hello Kitty turns 50 and ends up on display in London.
Irresistible, tender, anthropomorphic and sometimes disturbing just like those created by the eccentric Victorian artist Louis Wain (played on film by the equally irresistible Benedict Cumberbatch in Will Sharpe's film with Claire Foy and Andrea Riseborough), cats and kittens are at the center of the Cute exhibition at the Somerset Gallery in London.
Sponsor of the event in which, behind concepts such as sweetness, tenderness and adorableness, the malignant and potentially disturbing side of 'cuteness' peeps out, is the Japanese company Sanrio, custodian of the brand of the mouthless doll which has reached the halfway point of first half century.
The exhibition is for all ages, in the light of that of its inspirer: often dressed in the manner of their heroine, teenagers and older women cross the halls of the former palace of the Dukes of Somerset behind the bridge of Waterloo, ready to absorb images poised between the easily instagrammable and the exploration of the ambiguities that everything that is 'cute' provokes in the viewer: "From tenderness to aggression towards clearly subordinated and non-threatening consumer goods ", as explained by sociologist Sianne Ngai, author of essays on the aesthetic category of 'cute'.
Showcases full of collectible memorabilia recall the 'Kittification' of everyday objects: from computers to pasta, from staplers to car oil, adhesive tape, flavored water, cosmetics and every type of Hello Kitty imaginable, even a dress wedding.
Elsewhere there are images of cats from the Victorian age: in addition to those of Louis Wain, considered responsible for raising the social status of felines, there are also their alter egos immortalized in Harry Pointer's postcards - perched on the seat of a tricycle or in posing as if at a tea party - had become so popular that, the Brighton photographer once complained, they had eclipsed his day job.
A gallery is dedicated to the culture of kawaii, the Japanese culture of adorableness: it shows how advances in mass production techniques have allowed vast profits thanks to the sweet ability of 'cuteness' to provoke emotions.
The exploration continues with the Cry Baby section in which the appearance of vulnerability - the sad eyes of a doll, the rainbows crying multicolored tears - encourage you to take care of the object on display and take it home.
All with the help of contemporary artists who explore contemporary society's obsession with adorableness: Wong Ping,
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