Sad Paintings for Happy People

…or Hello (you sick, sick) Kitty

I always figured there was a dark side to the whole Hello Kitty – Badtz Maru – Corocoro craze. Some dark side of Sanrio Town where the not-so-cute Asian-style cartoon creations dwell in squalor. The wrong-side of the tracks bears, dogs, pigs, and bees deal with drug addition, live on unemployment and disability checks while watching the Sanrio equivalent of the Jerry Springer (Spaniel?) show.

My suspicions have been confirmed in the work of artist Luke Chueh — he seems to have made it his mission to expose the dark side of these “cute wittle animals.”

His art show opens today in Los Angeles at the Black Market L.A. Gallery. If you get a chance to attend, you’ll see adorable bunnies, kitties, monkeys, and other Sanrio-esque creatures in sinister and/or deeply ironic situations. It’s like a window onto the dark alleys and after-hours doings of Pokemon and his nefarious ilk.

The name of his show is called “Sad Paintings for Happy People.” If you wonder why a show containing what are essentially paintings of cartoon animals could be called sad, It only takes a minute to see why — all your questions will be answered after you see the painting of a chicken staring down at a plate of fried eggs.

You view Luke Chueh’s online gallery at his website: www.lukechueh.com