Cute at Somerset House, London till April 14th

Posted: February 20th, 2024 | No Comments »

The ‘Cute’ Exhibition runs till mid-April at London’s Somerset House. A major exhibition exploring the irresistible force of cuteness in contemporary culture and of course it deals almost exclusively with the Asian notion of cuteness – Hello Kitty et al. I’ve included below some images included in the exhibiton from North Korea and a sculpture by Sean-Kierre Lyons that represents to me the darker, scarier side of the Cute trend.

From emojis to internet memes, video games to plushie toys, food to loveable robotic design, cuteness has taken over our world. But how has something so charming and seemingly harmless – adorable, doe-eyed animals, chubby-cheeked babies, flowers, hearts, stars, sweets and other such romantic motifs – gained such traction?  

“CUTE brings together contemporary artworks, including new artist commissions, and cultural phenomena such as music, fashion, toys, video games and social media, in this brand-new show examining the world’s embrace of cute culture and how it has become such an influential measure of our times. It will seek to unravel cuteness’ emotive charge, revealing its extraordinary and complex power and potential. ”

More details here

---