A Part of The Furniture

My works explore various Japanese fashion subcultures and the clash between their values of individualism and consumerism. Each work features bizarre motifs of furniture to illustrate the concept of ‘gijinka’ – turning anything and everything into a cute, charming and marketable mascot character. Extravagant subcultures such as Elegant Gothic Lolita, Visual Kei and Decora originally developed as a backlash against Japanese traditionalism and gender conventions. However, they have slowly been commercialised and developed their own rules to promote conformity within their communities. I aim to illustrate the relationship between these fashion styles and their changing environments.