UPLIFTING ICON
Hello Kitty at 45
Shortly after her debut in 1974, Hello Kitty—full name Kitty White—solidified her iconic status not only in Japan, where she originated from the Sanrio brand, but around the world. Hello Kitty is a symbol of kindness and friendship, with cultures worldwide gravitating to her uplifting message of connectivity and acceptance. Throughout the decades, her instantly recognizable image—a cat wearing a red bow and most notably having no mouth— has appeared as stuffed animals, in fashion designs, on stationary and even in TV and movies. She also has appeared in artistic explorations, with the show Hello Kitty 45th Anniversary at Corey Helford Gallery being the next to bring together reinterpretations of the character and her friends.
The show, which is presented in partnership with Sanrio, will feature work in a wide variety of mediums and aesthetics. “As a little girl, I remember when the first Hello Kitty store opened near me. I would walk down the aisles and it was like a Hello Kitty dream,” says Corey Helford Gallery co-curator Caro Buermann. “I had Hello Kitty pens, pencils, erasers and even my pencil box had her face on it. The artists in her 45th anniversary exhibit all have similar stories.
“Everyone knows Hello Kitty and just looking at her can make you happy,” continues Buermann. “With her cute face, six whiskers and a little yellow nose, Hello Kitty herself is a work of art. In her simplicity, she is an abstraction. It opens a whole other door to exploration. I think the tradition of Hello Kitty art shows has been so successful because the artists are driven by something nostalgic and personal to them and also completely relevant to the viewer.”
Camilla d’Errico’s oil painting Hello My Love, depicts a girl with pink hair and several of the characters from the Hello Kitty world, including Cinnamoroll, BadtzMaru and My Melody. “I have always adored Hello Kitty and her friends ever since I first laid eyes on their cute faces,” the artist says. “My painting is a reflection of that love. Each character is a little piece of my heart that I want to share with the world.”
As a young Asian girl, Kristen Liu-Wong says she was obsessed with everything Sanrio, and one of her highlights was
going to the mall and being able to pick something out from the Sanrio store. “My sister and I each had the Hello Kitty Round House toy, which we would spend hours playing with together (and my mom would even allow us to bring them with us to Christmas Day celebrations so we wouldn’t get bored at my great-uncle’s house),” says the artist. “As an adult I still love everything Sanrio, and I keep my Keroppi Band-Aid holder from the ’90s in my bag with me just in case of emergencies. It’s such a privilege to be able to make a piece for this company that brought magic to my childhood and continues to bring delight to me as an adult.”
Also on view in the show will be artwork by Albert Reyes, Allison Bamcat, Jasmine Becket-Griffith, Jon Ching, Mark Mothersbaugh, Paul Frank, Stan Manoukian, Tina Yu, Victor Castillo and more. “Hello Kitty’s history as the queen of ‘kawaii’ cuteness has always been to make people smile,” says Buermann. “As a curator, I feel like I have that in common with Hello Kitty. I want to make people smile too, and I want to create an entertaining experience.”