I: ICONOPLASMOSIS
OBSESS OVER YOUR ART AS PUBLIC FIGURE, CONSCIOUS OF HOW OTHERS PERCEIVE IT! WHAT TYPE OF PERSON IS YOUR ART? FLAMBOYANT? SERIOUS? FUNNY? FREAKY? YOUR ART HAS A VOICE! IT HAS A NON-STOP CONVERSATION WITH THE AUDIENCE!
The apotheosis of kawaii culture is Hello Kitty, the big-eyed, beribboned, expressionless pussycat character that stokes a billion-dollar-a-year business for the Sanrio Company. Created in 1974, the Kitty character took off in 1985, first in Japan and then internationally. When I asked Matsui how she accounted for Kitty’s popularity, she practically shrieked in response: ‘‘Because I think humanism is dead! Because people are weak and scared.’’ In a more measured tone, she added: ‘’It’s easy to accept Kitty because it’s so dumb and expressionless. It doesn’t demand that you make any reference.’ -Takashi Murakami in a New York Times interview. April 3, 2005
It takes time to know someone. There’s the first impression based on looks and manners. You can often guess what type of person someone is at first glance. Creative. Intellectual. Business-minded. Fashionable. But that’s it. Then you talk and discuss and get to know points of view and opinions. You agree or disagree. Conversation grows.
You might get involved in a love affair or crisis. You learn others’ reactions in different circumstances. You start to know someone else.
The same evolution can be observed when discovering new art. Your art is your personality. You determine which aspect your audience needs to know. Constant recognition and familiarity are fundamental for others to engage with you and your art.
Don’t let your art suffer manic depressions or schizophrenia. Make your art easy for your viewers.People are so proud when they are able to recognize art. Adopt an icon or repetitive element as leitmotif. Many successful artists do. Roy Liechtenstein/comics, Damien Hirst/dots, Jeff Wall/lightboxes, Murakami/characters, Gilbert & George/frames, Nam June Paik/TV, Robert Indiana/letters, Yves Klein/blue. We could go on and on. A visual signature instantly identifies an artist! If well chosen, your icon joins the list!
