For those who grew up with Hello Kitty, like me and have never given her up, or those little ones who can't get enough of her, you have to check out the amazing new must-see exhibit in Culver City celebrating Hello Kitty's 35th Anniversary: Three Apples at the Royal T Gallery, showing now until November 15, 2009.
Yesterday the gallery featured Hello Kitty's head designer who came in from Tokyo--Yuko Yamaguchi, a.k.a. Kitty Mama, and Tokidoki creator Simone Legno, who signed autographs for fans. The line was extremely long, especially the line for the gallery, where the wait was up to four hours to get in. Greeters dressed in harajuku costumes passed out free goodies like Hello Kitty lip gloss and candy and Hello Kitty paper crowns.
Gary Baseman, Simone Legno, Tara McPherson, Friends With You, Ron English and others are among the 80+ contemporary artists that have contributed their interpretations of Hello Kitty in paintings, sculptures, and photographs. Curated by Jamie Rivadeneira, owner of Japan LA, a pop-culture shop, it is truly a great mix of artists with a nice range of styles, from simple plush to life-size figures, and interesting ways of seeing Hello Kitty as a subject for serious gallery work.
Royal T's gallery space was more than just an art space--they also had a cafe right in the middle of the space, where visitors could sit and order from a special Hello Kitty menu designed just for the exhibit.
When you first walk in, there is a giant balloon, where visitors can enter and get their pictures taken.
There was also a pop-up shop where one could browse through Hello Kitty merchandise and also a product retrospective from Hello Kitty's start in 1974, where you can check out product collaborations with Betsey Johnson, Tokidoki, Paul Frank, and more.
The exhibit also featured Hello Kitty jewelry-making, coloring activities for kids, and even Hello Kitty herself made an appearance, to the delight of many children.
This show is very comprehensive, and jam-packed full of Hello Kitty delights and surprises. There is so much to see and experience here. You can see the calendar of events, which promises more fun weekends filled with a Goth party, fashion show, and Meet the Artists day.
Definitely a thumbs up from me! Although, after waiting almost four hours to go in yesterday, it was hard to really enjoy everything and make a thorough walk-through. But there's no entrance fee, so you can come back again and again!
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