Exploring the intersection between cuteness and horror
June 11, 2015 10:44 AM Subscribe
I'm interested in exploring a particular aesthetic that I associate with the art of Yoshitomo Nara.
I've recently become really curious about the work of Yoshitomo Nara, particularly images of scary-cute little girls like this and this and this.
Following this trail, I came across the work of Mark Ryden and Margaret Keane and other "Big Eye" painters, which also led to Tim Burton; I'm also waiting for Sianne Ngai's book Our Aesthetic Categories: Zany, Cute, Interesting, to come in from the library. I've found the keyword kimo-kawaii and the TVTropes entry on Creepy Cute.
So what else do you have for me? I think my current interests lean more towards art than kitsch; self-awareness vs accident, and genuinely scary vs. a little bit creepy; I'm more interested in high culture that's getting its hands dirty than pure pop (i.e. the Chucky movies) and I'd love to get my hands on some novels and music that really digs into this aesthetic... but really, any examples are welcome.
Thank you!
I've recently become really curious about the work of Yoshitomo Nara, particularly images of scary-cute little girls like this and this and this.
Following this trail, I came across the work of Mark Ryden and Margaret Keane and other "Big Eye" painters, which also led to Tim Burton; I'm also waiting for Sianne Ngai's book Our Aesthetic Categories: Zany, Cute, Interesting, to come in from the library. I've found the keyword kimo-kawaii and the TVTropes entry on Creepy Cute.
So what else do you have for me? I think my current interests lean more towards art than kitsch; self-awareness vs accident, and genuinely scary vs. a little bit creepy; I'm more interested in high culture that's getting its hands dirty than pure pop (i.e. the Chucky movies) and I'd love to get my hands on some novels and music that really digs into this aesthetic... but really, any examples are welcome.
Thank you!
Maybe The Curse of Millhaven by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.
The Empty Child - Doctor Who episode.
posted by Leon at 11:07 AM on June 11, 2015
The Empty Child - Doctor Who episode.
posted by Leon at 11:07 AM on June 11, 2015
Best answer: Maybe the wonderful LA artist Marnie Weber...
posted by neroli at 11:09 AM on June 11, 2015
posted by neroli at 11:09 AM on June 11, 2015
Continuing with Japanese sources:
I've only ever found two manga that a reliable consensus on 4chan's /a/ considers to be legitimately unnerving. (A doubly rare thing, considering that it's an article of faith on /a/ that anime and manga don't do horror all that well, and /a/ hardly ever agrees on anything.) One is the infamous and singularly un-cute The Enigma of Amigara Fault by Junji Ito. The other is an entirely unassuming serial called Kuro by a mangaka who goes by "Soumatou." Read that one.
Another source to check out is a production design partnership called Gekidan Inu Curry. They've had a huge influence on the house style of Shaft, one of the better-regarded anime studios of the 2000s.
posted by fifthrider at 11:14 AM on June 11, 2015
I've only ever found two manga that a reliable consensus on 4chan's /a/ considers to be legitimately unnerving. (A doubly rare thing, considering that it's an article of faith on /a/ that anime and manga don't do horror all that well, and /a/ hardly ever agrees on anything.) One is the infamous and singularly un-cute The Enigma of Amigara Fault by Junji Ito. The other is an entirely unassuming serial called Kuro by a mangaka who goes by "Soumatou." Read that one.
Another source to check out is a production design partnership called Gekidan Inu Curry. They've had a huge influence on the house style of Shaft, one of the better-regarded anime studios of the 2000s.
posted by fifthrider at 11:14 AM on June 11, 2015
You may want to check out the Superflat movement, spearheaded by Takashi Murakami.
posted by kelegraph at 11:44 AM on June 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by kelegraph at 11:44 AM on June 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: In poetry, these are two elements that would fall under what's been deemed as the Gurlesque. It's a relatively new concept, but a lot of writers have been creating gurlesque work for a while. There's an anthology of poems by various poets which also includes some art.
posted by mermaidcafe at 12:41 PM on June 11, 2015
posted by mermaidcafe at 12:41 PM on June 11, 2015
Best answer: You ever flip through Juxtapoz?
posted by Juliet Banana at 1:48 PM on June 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Juliet Banana at 1:48 PM on June 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Seconding Juxtapoz, and also recommending Hi-Fructose for a fairly steady stream of art in this vein.
posted by ourobouros at 2:57 PM on June 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by ourobouros at 2:57 PM on June 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
A friend saw this post and said he thought Jim Woodring might be a good answer and I agree, especially his comic book series "Frank". Note that although the link above is to his art, the real horror comes from actually reading his comics, which have a really uniquely horrific flavor to their stories. The Frank comics are actually all wordless.
posted by RustyBrooks at 5:54 PM on June 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by RustyBrooks at 5:54 PM on June 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I'm a big fan of the cute / creepy intersection and the big eyed girls thing, so you hopefully you'll dig some of my favourite artists. I err towards cute with a edge of creepiness rather than pure scary, but see what you think:
Mab Graves
Audrey Kawasaki
Rudy Fig
Anarkitty
There are a lot of artists working in this sort of mode - Juxtapoz or Hi-Fructose are great places to start for sure, or google "Pop Surrealism" (that's the broad umbrella genre for this style).
posted by iivix at 9:55 AM on June 12, 2015 [2 favorites]
Mab Graves
Audrey Kawasaki
Rudy Fig
Anarkitty
There are a lot of artists working in this sort of mode - Juxtapoz or Hi-Fructose are great places to start for sure, or google "Pop Surrealism" (that's the broad umbrella genre for this style).
posted by iivix at 9:55 AM on June 12, 2015 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Thanks everybody! This was super helpful. It was really interesting to me how common this form is in contemporary art (I know absolutely nothing about this field) and I discovered some exciting new artists as well as the very cool magazines Juxtapoz and Hi-Fructose. Highlighting a few suggestions that really hit the spot, but seriously, all of the suggestions offered something worthwhile.
posted by pretentious illiterate at 9:42 AM on June 16, 2015
posted by pretentious illiterate at 9:42 AM on June 16, 2015
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Gahan Wilson
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 10:48 AM on June 11, 2015 [1 favorite]