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. ”
WHAT CHINESE CRIME NOVELS CAN TELL US ABOUT CONTEMPORARY CHINA – my China-Britain Business Council author Q&A column for February with Jeff Kinkley explaining the value of reading crime novels set in China – from Qiu Xiaolong to Catherine Sampson & many more (+ his top 5) – Kinkley’s book China Mysteries is out now from University of Hawaii Press….click here
With a focus on Robert Morrison, Protestant Missionaries in China evaluates the role of nineteenth-century British missionaries in the early development of the cross-cultural relationship between China and the English-speaking world.
As one of the first generation of British Protestant missionaries, Robert Morrison went to China in 1807 with the goal of evangelizing the country. His mission pushed him into deeper engagement with Chinese language and culture, and the exchange flowed both ways as Morrison—a working-class man whose firsthand experiences made him an “accidental expert”—brought depictions of China back to eager British audiences. Author Jonathan A. Seitz proposes that, despite the limitations imposed by the orientalism impulse of the era, Morrison and his fellow missionaries were instrumental in creating a new map of cross-cultural engagement that would evolve, ultimately, into modern sinology.
Engaging and well researched, Protestant Missionaries in Chinaexplores the impact of Morrison and his contemporaries on early sinology, mission work, and Chinese Christianity during the three decades before the start of the Opium Wars.
I blogged recently on the aesthetic appeal of old China photo albums that were often supplied by the photograph studios in cities like Shanghai, Tientsin and Hong Kong as well as ports such as Weihaiwei. They were also sold to those on the Eastern Grand Tour in places like Singapore, Manila and Yokohama. Here two lacquered albums, most probably from Japan, with a cover inlaid and painted featuring a bird in a flowering tree. The interior with nine silk lined pages painted with various floral scenes…(another photo album-related post here).
And at bottom a late nineteenth century album purchased in Yokohama (I believe)….
