hello, kitty!

so I chose to do Tom Sachs’ statue of Sanrio’s Hello Kitty very far in advance because it’s an amazing and unique work of art. it sits in a public setting, is huge, and , according to Sachs’, was chosen because of her universality. my favorite part of the piece is the contrast between the playfulness and purity of Hello Kitty and the location; 50th and Park Avenue, an area of corporate offices (corporations are often associated with corruption). she, something so childlike, sits in an area of “suits and ties” perhaps to evoke nostalgia in the grown-ups who work in the area.

according to new york magazine, there was controversy with this work back in 2008 when it went up because Sachs didn’t ask Sanrio (Hello Kitty’s Japanese copyright company) for permission to make this piece (usually an artist would have to pay royalties or at least have permission from the company).

Sachs said that he chose Hello Kitty also because “she’s a pure merchandising icon” (evident in the video posted below). drawing on our class discussion, it’s a power statue — Hello Kitty, while innocent, is a powerful influence in the merchandising world because she’s worldwide. she is truly a universal archetype and a model for merchandising worldwide.

enjoy the video!

(UPDATE: embedding the video isn’t working, here is the link to youtube)