Does This Teddy Bear Remind You Of Anything? (All Photos By Gail)
If you pay attention to global pop culture, then you’ve probably heard of the Japanese Harajuku style and Kawaii (Cuteness) culture, where the adorable has an undercurrent of rebellious edge. For just a short time you can immerse yourself in a kind of Cuteness Overload at Tokyo-based Artist and Fashion Designer Sebastian Masuda’s Colorful Rebellion (Seventh Nightmare) installation, through March 29th only at Kianga Ellis Projects. Geoffrey and I paid the space a visit yesterday and it was positively disorienting.
Detail of Walls and Ceiling
According to the Artist’s statement, Masuda has, “created this work as if I was writing my own autobiography.” The small room (about 150 SF), covered on all sides with the collage of multicolored material speaks to his different reflections on “the various mortal sins I have committed, or to which I have fallen prey, through my life thus far.”
The only props in the room besides the wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling ocean of multicolored brick-a-brack is a twin size bed, which evokes the feeling that you are entering child’s fantasy bedroom.
Since the space is so small, it gets crowded with, say, more that five people in the gallery at one time, especially of you are trying to get photos that show a good section of the space. Fortunately, people were being very courteous about waiting out in the hall of it got too crowded, since many visitors (including several Asian girls dressed in their full-on Harajuku Babydoll Lolita fashions) wanted to get their photos taken against the colorful backgrounds. And who could blame them?
Details of Colorful Rebellion
You probably won’t see another exhibit quite like this again in your life, so if this seems like your thing, don’t waste any time in checking it out.
Sebastian Masuda’s Colorful Rebellion is on Exhibit only through through March 29th at Kianga Ellis Projects, Located at 516 West 25th Street, Studio 306B (when you get to the Third Floor Landing, walk through the door marked “3” and the exhibit is down the hall on the right) in the Chelsea Gallery District. Hours are Wednesday to Saturday, 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM.
