Hello Kitty Art Exhibition

A few weeks ago, I visited an art exhibit at the Royal/T Restaurant in Culver City showcasing works by many different artists and designers. This exhibit was dedicated to celebrating the 35th anniversary of Hello Kitty. The particular day I went had live painting by 2 contemporary artists - Camilla d'Errico and Buff Monster. I thought it was interesting how they blended their own style and made Hello Kitty a modern subject in their pieces.

I also got to check out the exhibit - there were pieces done by many different artists such as Crowded Teeth, Dan Goodsell, and Jason Mecier. I was actually exposed to a lot more contemporary art by going to this exhibit. I got to see how artists used something as simple as Hello Kitty as inspiration for pieces done in their own style. Everything from sculpture to paintings to clothes were designed with Hello Kitty in mind. This made me relate back to our design projects this semester and how we had to design something with constraints in mind. I felt that most of the pieces exhibited managed to produce something modern and exciting while still remaining in those constraints. I really enjoyed the exhibit because it combined two of my favorite things - Hello Kitty and art.

DesignerCon returns this weekend | Brand X | Los Angeles Times

DesignerCon returns this weekend | Brand X | Los Angeles Times

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Shepard Fairey

On November 4, I got the opportunity to watch Shepard Fairey's lecture at Annenberg. I had not known much about Fairey other than his work at Obey so I learned a lot from this lecture. I especially liked the story about how he started in art and how he got attention from the media by manupulating the public. I think the most intriguing part of the lectures was the questions that the students asked, particularly the one about his case with the Associated Press concerning the Obama posters he made. I thought it was interesting to hear his side of the story and his views on protection of intellectual property and the freedom of speech. I thought he has a point when he said that other than the fact his work was based on a photo taken by someone at one particular time, the posters were in no way alike. Also, his defense that the posters were his form of freedom of speech and therefore undeserving of the lawsuit. I do not feel that the AP should get a cut of his work because all art is in one shape or another based on someone else's work, thus Fairey should not have to give the AP any compensation. I do, however, feel that the AP should get credit for the photo. All in all, I thought the lecture was entertaining and enjoyable, and best of all, in the end, I got him to sign my Shepard Fairey flyer.