While I was MCing at the Kumoricon Fashion Show, it was time to announce 6%DOKIDOKI's ending notes, which would wrap up the show. There was an announcement about Sebastian holding an exhibit in LA! I eagerly wanted to find out more details about this event. As some time passed, some social media posts were made to advertise the event! I was so excited to hear that Sebastian would have another exhibition, since the last one held in 2022, I was not able to attend. (Which I was very sad that I missed!)
I didn't want to miss out on this one, so I made sure my schedule was free so I could plan it out! To make it even better, Harajuku Day LA was also planning a special event to fall inline with the grand opening of Sebastian's exhibit! It was the perfect plan and the timing screamed out I should go. It will also be my 30th birthday this year, so I am treating this as a birthday gift to myself.
The exhibit was full of life and colour. It's so cool to see how Sebastian has done so many things to connect people around the world for the same purpose: to express themselves with kawaii! Photos wont capture the true essence of each installation piece, but hopefully you can still feel it from these photos!
Only once before had I seen one of Sebastian's exhibits in person, and it was just due to lucky timing! I managed to catch the exhibit 3 days before it closed! You can check out that experience here:
YES, KAWAII IS ART focused on Sebastian's connections with the international community, and exploring what the word "kawaii" means to everyone. It is a much deeper concept than the literal translation of "cute". Sebastian describes this concept as everyone's own sort of world, or microcosm as he's expressed it in the past. Every time I hear him talking about his work, I am truly inspired and amazed.
Within the exhibit, their is a kawaii fashion display, showcasing 2 looks by 6%DOKIDOKI and 2 indie designers in partnership with Harajuku Day LA. GHOST GiRL GOODS will be displaying on one mannequin this October!! I am very excited!
**Updated Oct. 17th:** My mannequin was successfully set up and is now in the exhibit until the closing day Nov. 3rd! If you are visiting LA, be sure to check it out and send me photos! Displayed beside me is @yokaidecadenceshop.
A large display of Sebastian's piece works were on display, including the iconic Harajuku clock that was displayed at the Moshi Moshi Box right at the exit of Takeshita Street.
This photo wall contained photos of people who participated in Sebastian's 1st Kawaii Tribe post on Instagram during 2020. I had posted a photo of me during the NEW GENERATION KAWAII tour and was so happy to have found my photo on the wall! In the exhibit, there was also a small printer, where you could connect with your phone, print and post a photo on the wall, so that you too can contribute to the exhibit!
The EXPRESS YOURSELF installation features what could be a depiction of a characters head, with a TV screen representing the placement of the eye. However, this TV screen displayed the eyes of people within the kawaii community. I snapped a photo of the screen when it was showing my eye! Many of the people who contributed to this project wore lovely make up and colourful things around their eye. Mine was plain LOL I just thought it would be nice to show my natural eye~ THIS IS ME, EXACTLY AS I AM~!
There was also a very fun interactive experience called Sense Share Bear, a VR experience allowing you to customize the bear you see in the photo!! Everyone's bear will be unique! Featured in this photo is none other than Igiko.Pop, who I had a chance to hang out with for a bit at the exhibit's grand opening!
In 2020, I helped to lead the Canadian Kawaii Tribe session with Sebastian and the local kawaii community. In the exhibit, there were several mini screens displaying the kawaii tribe sessions from all around the world!! Behind me in the photo on the right is a colourful version of the world map with lights representing the countries/people that were involved in the kawaii tribe sessions!
Beside the kawaii tribe world map was the Time After Time capsule. I remember when we had the chance to do the event here in Toronto at The Japan Foundation during the NEW GENERATION KAWAII Tour. We had an inflatable bear capsule hehe! This one on display was a giant hello kitty shape one. Originally, Sebastian had planned to display the capsules during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, but we all know what happened at that time. I hope one day we can all visit the capsules together, open it, and relive the micro moment we had placing the item inside!!
The pinnacle of the exhibit to me was the Colourful Rebellion - Seventh Nightmare - experience. I remember several years ago, seeing a video about this installation when it was presented in New York City for the first time. I thought it was totally a dream come true for the local NYC people to be able to see it in person. I didn't know it was going to be a part of this exhibit, and now I got to experience it myself. It was more than simply amazing!!!!! This room is filled with thoughts and feelings, items, trinkets, ideas. I'm so glad I was able to be in there with, essentially, Sebastian's whole mind!
(Even GHOST GiRL enjoyed it!)
A special cup sleeve was made and distributed at the local Starbucks near the exhibit. Of course, you need to grab a drink if you want one, so I got one of their dragon fruit lemonade refreshers!! It was so tasty~! (And I figured it was aesthetically on brand for the exhibit haha!)
I feel very grateful to be able to attend this event and congratulate Sebastian on a wonderful achievement, which means a lot to me. Firstly, it has been 10 years since I visited Japan for the first time and entered 6%DOKIDOKI's physical shop. Its been 9 years since my first encounter with Sebastian and 5 years since I first had the chance to work with Sebastian to execute the NEW GENERATION KAWAII Tour. Within this exhibit, you can find me in 3 spots!!! I feel so grateful to have participated in so many community events and prompts that Sebastian held during lockdown in 2020 and onwards.
Im really happy I got to see many friends during the exhibit grand opening, as well as see Sebastian, Yui, and Mika! We all got to share our feelings and happiness together and pinpoint where we found ourselves in the exhibit. Reflecting on so many memories, I am happy to be part of the kawaii tribe and kawaii community. I would have never thought that "kawaii" could impact my life this much, but I am so grateful it did! Thank you Sebastian for being such a big inspiration to me!
BE STRANGE. FEAR THE NORM.