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97-99 Bulletin |
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Tono Mirai | Keiko Miyata |
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97-99 Bulletin |
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Tono Mirai | Keiko Miyata |
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Keiko Miyata || Silent Pop Violence || 97-99 Sclater Street || 08.07 - 05.08.2000
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Keiko Miyata is a Tokyo based artist whose work is made from drawings that children have sent into the magazine Shogaku 2 Nennsei that she writes a regular column in. From these she makes soft toys: the Tamagotchi cyber-pet becomes no longer hyper-real and pocket-sized but demands attention standing monster sized over you saturated in colour. These Ônot so cuddly toysÕ, whilst negotiating an ultra-kitsch within a polemic surrounding KoonÕs work, also question a gendering. The creatures that she makes are essentially asexual, but there is a gendered polarisation in terms of peopleÕs responses to these in much the same way as described by Kaori Makabe on Kazuhiko HachiyaÕs 'Over the Rainbow' and 'PostPet'. (1) In the Silent Pop Violence show Miyata has made over-sized fluffy bunnies, which reside neither in a childishness nor an adult (re-)construction of reminiscence: from the saccharine, such as Ôsuper lucky and super happy', to 'age 3', two menacing pokemon-esque creatures. Whether being surrounded by girliness is your idea of worst nightmare or dreams come true, there is a sense in which an obvious association with the Playboy bunny-girl is negated. In the context of an exhibition these objects invert or remove all of the prosaic attributes of the "toy": 1. an object designed to be played with 2. something that is a non-functioning replica of something else 3. any small thing of little value; trifle 4. something small or miniature 5. to play, fiddle, or flirt2 Whatever your take on game playing is, the characters of Miyata's in the show at 97-99, beg the question as to what extent toys R us... Miyata has had many shows in Japan, including 'Tokyo Pop' at Hiratsuka Museum of Art, and 'A*MUSE*LAND' (sic) at the Hokkaido Museum of Art. This will be her first show outside Japan. ____ (1) Heaven Can't Wait: Kaori Makabe on the floating world of Kazuhiko Hachiya in Frieze, Issue 50 January/February 2000, pp. 58-61. (2) Collins Dictionary. |
Venue: 97-99 Sclater Street London E1 UK
Dates: 8th July- 5th August 2000 || Thurs - Sun 1 - 5pm || and by appointment
Opening: Saturday 8th July 2000 || 6 - 8 pm
Press contact: Alfred Camp || E.mail: alfred@97-99.com || Tel: +44 (0)20-7729 9498
This exhibition is supported by:
Art by Xerox: Fuju Xerox Co. Ltd., The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation,
Hamanaka Co.Ltd., The Sasagawa Foundation
Press Information Compiled: 17.06.2000