IDEAS: KITSCH IS COOL

Here are a few of our favourite kitsch artworks and designs to inspire you to bring home a spot of bold, brash but tongue-in-cheek style.

1. JOIN THE DOTS Ni net y-two-year-ol dY ayoiK us am a is one of the world’ s most celebrated living artists–and remarkably, she has voluntarily resided in a psychiatric hospital for 45 years. Best known for her “immersive infinity rooms”, she uses lots of borderline-kitsch pop-vegetal imagery, including pumpkins. Her work is mind-bending, witty and wise. yayoi-kusama.jp

2. FLORAL FANTASIA Wide-ranging in expression and commercially successful, TakashiM ur aka mi’ s work is frequently read as an ironic commentary on art itself. He has 2.3-million Instagram followers, and uses elements derived from anime, traditional Japanese painting and sci-fi to make his work. Invited to exhibit at the palace of Versailles in France (pictured opposite), he controversially filled its opulent halls with smiley plastic flowers and manga-style characters. c takashipom

3. DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER One of a group of young British artists who took the art scene by storm in the1990s, Damien Hirst has always worked with humour and parody. Artworks such as his 2007 piece For the Love of God (pictured above right) are kitsch in the word’s classic definition: “Art, objects or design considered to be in poor taste because of

excessive garishness or sentimentality, but sometimes appreciated in an ironic or knowing way.” damienhirst.com