Heart-shaped clouds decorate bright, blue skies. Heaps of teddy bears lie in mounds. Female construction workers drive flowery, pastel trucks and work in frenzied motion to construct a giant, high-heel shoe.
This is the world created by Katherine Aoki in her recent art exhibit, "The Cult of the Cute," at the San Jose Museum of Art. It is a world filled with the construction of giant monuments to girlhood and with teddy bears transforming into "glammed up" bears, adorned with nameplate necklaces labeled "Sex Slave" in gold. Aoki combines bright colors and the Japanese anime style in her art to explore gender stereotypes and the media's effects on women and young girls.
In an interview conducted by e-mail, Aoki gave some insight into her art:
Q: You named your exhibit "The Cult of the Cute." Why?
A: "The Cult of the Cute" exhibition features works on paper from my recent body of artwork titled "Construction of Modern Girlhood." The word "cult" suggests seductive danger -- in the images in the show, monuments of girlhood and super-cuteness are constructed and worshiped by anime female characters and teddy bears.
Q: The women in your paintings are performing empowering roles that do not necessarily fit into stereotypical gender roles of women, yet the tasks they are performing seem rather superficial, such as building a giant shoe. What is the message here?
A: The "Construction of Modern Girlhood" series is a visual allegory that depicts how the media affects girls. In particular, the media is selling a false sense of "girl power" by promoting sexiness or excessive cuteness in young girls instead of the true power that comes with skills, learning, self-confidence, etc.
Q: I would like to know why you chose to use the Japanese anime style in your paintings. Is it in any way used to contribute to the greater meaning of your work?
A: The anime construction girls represent the media. I chose the cartoon look of anime because it is ubiquitous in advertising and imagery aimed at young people, including girls. These construction cuties are overseeing the erection of giant monuments to girlhood for worship. I want the viewer to think "Right on! Girl Power!" initially, but then notice that the things they are building are not symbols of power at all. The teddy bear characters (who represent regular girls) are captured and transformed into sexy submissive workers who must help build the monuments.
Q: Is there an overall message you would like to send?
A: On one hand, I want the audience to be satisfied visually with the work, whether or not they get the message. I hope that the familiar format of cartoons, along with the color and detail in the imagery, will lure the viewer in for a closer look. At that point, I hope the viewer will recognize that there is something wrong with the system portrayed -- that being sexy/cute, or buying products of the same, does not translate into true girl power.