What’s cute? From cats, including Hello Kitty, to cherubs, London exhibition ‘Cute’ explores all things adorable

‘Cute’, in Somerset House in London and sponsored by Japanese company Sanrio, blends art, music, video games and memes in an exploration of cuteness

Hello Kitty features heavily, as do cats in general, alongside products such as Tamagotchi toys and Sylvanian Family figures, and Japanese video games

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Hello Kitty toys are displayed as part of the exhibition “Cute” at Somerset House in London. Featuring Renaissance and contemporary art, toys, memes and Japanese video games, the show examines the culture of cuteness. Photo: EPA

Published: 5:15pm, 26 Jan 2024

From cats and plushies to emojis, a new exhibition in London, England, is exploring the “irresistible force” of “cuteness”.

Even before the doors to “Cute” opened at Somerset House, social media influencers in Japanese schoolgirl uniforms, Hello Kitty dresses and Pikachu hats playfully posed for photos, to charm their social media followers.

The exhibition blends art with an array of musical clips, video games and memes from social media, exploring a largely virtual culture that has swept across the globe with the explosion of the internet.

One room of “Cute” is a tribute to cats, which make up some of the most viewed content on the internet, contrasting 19th century black and white feline photographs with futuristic, AI-generated rainbow kitten portraits.

Artwork “Playing Dress-up With AI”, created by British design consultancy Graphic Thought Facility, at “Cute”. Photo: AFP

Further on, a collage of curly-haired Renaissance cherubs – the original “cute babies” of art history – intermingles with plush toys, manga and icons of the kawaii, or cute, culture that emerged in 20th-century Japan.