8X8 GAZEBO CANOPY

For those of you that aren't Hello Kitty® superfans, the title Three Apples refers the precise weight of the iconic character as listed in her bio. It's also the title of a current exhibition celebrating Hello Kitty's 35th Anniversary. Hosted by the massive, Los Angeles, Harajuku-themed gallery and cafe Royal/T, Three Apples celebrates all things Hello Kitty through a retrospective and reinterpretation of the character by a variety of contemporary, cutting edge artists. I was flattered to receive an invitation to participate from curator Jamie Rivadeneira.

Hello Kitty sat on my desk for a few weeks while I took some time to work on other projects and brainstorm my piece for the show. I had hoped to organically find her character and subsequently a scene to place her in, but instead I came to release the lasting power of the character. She is almost without identity, free of concrete association. Truly an icon for the time, she is a totem and emblem of kinship for devotees of cute. With this realization, it was easy to take another step and cast Hello Kitty not just as a revered symbol, but also as a god.

Young Julia Coburn is seen in a desperate (albeit cute) state, floating away under a canopy of balloons. As Hello Kitty looks on, it's purposely unclear as to what role she plays...or will play in Julia's survival.

hiding in my new hello kitttyy canopyyy