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Hello Kitty, Hello Art!
Hello Kitty, Hello Art! is a celebration of the iconic Hello Kitty character and other beloved Sanrio characters through the eyes of dozens of contemporary artists and Hello Kitty fans, including Gary Baseman, Ron English, Luke Chueh, CRASH, Anthony Lister, Eric Joyner, Camilla d’Errico, Amanda Visell, Colin Christian, Huck Gee, Luke Chueh, Deph, and Yosuke Ueno, among others. This hardcover collectible book features a variety of well-known international artists and their unique interpretations of Sanrio characters in various media, including canvas, spray paint, watercolor and ink, aerosol and acrylics on wood, mixed media, oil on panel, and silk screen. The pieces in the book reflect the many ways Hello Kitty and Sanrio have influenced and inspired so many artists around the world.
- GenresArtJapanNonfiction
208 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2012
77 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 18, 2017
My review from Amazon: This book collects selected works from three exhibits organized in 2009 and 2010, commemorating the 35th birthday of Hello Kitty and the 50th anniversary of Sanrio (Sanrio was involved in planning these events). Most of the works include Kitty herself, but other Sanrio characters are also featured. Artists include some relatively well known (e.g., Gary Baseman, Luke Chueh, Mari Inukai) as well as many I was not familiar with. There are several nice short essays, on the history of Sanrio and Hello Kitty and on individual artists' relationships with the brand. The book concludes with several pages of photographs of tattoos created at the 2010 "Small Gift Miami" show, using custom flash created for the event based on Sanrio designs and American tattooing traditions. A page of temporary tattoos using some of this flash is included at the rear.
The texts include some very nice, thoughtful considerations of "kawaii" (generally translated as "cuteness") in Japanese and international contexts - not extended or developed pieces, but nice short thoughts from some of the authors. Personally I find these more interesting and meaningful than most of the scholarly writings I've seen. I particularly liked AIKO's reflections on how Kitty serves as an anchor to home when she's abroad.
Inevitably, given the number of artists involved, each reader will find some works more appealing and others less so. But I was struck by how few didn't do something for me, and there were a good dozen or more that I wish I could hang in my home. The book would be great for the coffee-table, but it's also worth giving some attention. I expect to return to it, again and again.
The texts include some very nice, thoughtful considerations of "kawaii" (generally translated as "cuteness") in Japanese and international contexts - not extended or developed pieces, but nice short thoughts from some of the authors. Personally I find these more interesting and meaningful than most of the scholarly writings I've seen. I particularly liked AIKO's reflections on how Kitty serves as an anchor to home when she's abroad.
Inevitably, given the number of artists involved, each reader will find some works more appealing and others less so. But I was struck by how few didn't do something for me, and there were a good dozen or more that I wish I could hang in my home. The book would be great for the coffee-table, but it's also worth giving some attention. I expect to return to it, again and again.
April 6, 2022
Fuck it, putting this on my Goodreads
May 10, 2023
Absolutely LOVED this book! It is wonderful to see how much my childhood obsession (and current if I'm being completely honest) has influenced so many amazing artists!
July 8, 2013
Really cool, interesting book. Being an artist myself, it was really interesting too see other people's take on Hello Kitty and the other Sanrio characters. A definite recommend for artists needing inspiration or Sanrio fans.
December 30, 2012
Brilliant. A must-own for any Sanrio fan.
January 27, 2013
Love seeing the different, unique ways that artists interpret Hello Kitty... fantastic book, and great artsy inspiration!
May 15, 2014
The art is phenomenal.
August 5, 2014
Wonderful art work and Hello Kitty history. A must have for Hello Kitty fans.
October 25, 2014
A must have for HK fans!
June 19, 2015
Love the different artist who created Hello Kitty's world!
February 21, 2019
I absolutely loveee this book, I use to be some crazy, wild and overly obsessed hellokitty fanatic! ( Well still kinda am)
I use to be that girl who reminded everyone of hellokitty.
As an artist myself, it was really cool to see all these other artists' work and their crazy/original take on creating beautiful compositions of the glorious cat we all know and love, Hellokitty. ♥
I use to be that girl who reminded everyone of hellokitty.
As an artist myself, it was really cool to see all these other artists' work and their crazy/original take on creating beautiful compositions of the glorious cat we all know and love, Hellokitty. ♥
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews