OMOCAT | Media: 2D

In recent years, the art of OMOCAT has taken the world by storm. OMOCAT’s artwork is especially unique in its style and presentation, with eccentric and bright colors that present dark and sometimes sinister themes. While not only being popular overseas in Japan, she has been acclaimed in the United States with her apparel’s success and has been offered countless partnerships with popular companies. Although her artwork may be disliked by many, I personally believe her artwork is representative of something beautiful and is reflective of an ever-changing, ever advancing society.

OMOCAT is the pseudonym of an Asian-American artist based in the Bay Area of California. In the last 10 years, she has won multiple awards, been granted multiple partnerships, featured in various anthologies and participated in various showcases. Most notably, she was commissioned to design apparel for Crypton’s Vocaloid concerts and briefly for Bandai Namco’s Tamagotchi line. Last year, her work was displayed in the Japan LA Pop-Up shop and various other stores in both Harajuku and LA since then.

Despite her glorified resume, OMOCAT is of humble origins. She grew up watching cartoons and anime, playing videogames, and drawing endlessly. These ideas became the inspiration for her work; a majority of her imagery and context take inspiration from the Japanese-manga subculture and is widely embraced by fans from America and Japan. According to her portfolio, her work has often met criticism for its relation to an “underground” culture and she has been told endlessly to “grow up”. This message carries on in her work and acts as her inspiration: “She wants you to know that even in this world where you are told to stop watching cartoons and grow up, told that anime isn't real art and games are only for the lazy, told that you have to pretend to be someone else to be accepted; and where dreams are carefully crafted and then revealed to have a strict time limit, that it is possible to live by doing what you love”.

Her current career has brought her much success, and she is currently producing a videogame entitled Omori after having her Kickstarter fully funded.

As such, the most notable qualities of OMOCAT’s work are the eccentric, bright and sometimes neon colors, youthful, Japanese-manga inspired figures and the overlying ominous themes present in some perceptively sunnier pieces. Nevertheless, her works generally tend to have common ideas: that youth can fluctuate between good and bad, and that everyone and everything has some darkness in it.

One of these considerably “darker” pieces is “SALLY”, a 2013 piece. It depicts a young girl sitting in front of a large birthday cake with a “12” candle lit on top of it. Although a slice is cut out, the cake is a representation of the American flag, with the orientation of the blueberries and strawberries. She seems to be in a grade school classroom, with the flag hanging behind her and a bookshelf and bulletin board as well. Behind her are an array of motivational and religious posters, stating things such as “God made you extra special”, “Dare to dream” and “Work to achieve”, etc. There are primarily only two colors as well, a magenta and a dark blue.

By itself, the piece is already aesthetically pleasing; with two simple colors, OMOCAT was able to amplify the “darkness” and the contrast between darks and lights. She was also able to bring emphasis to certain objects with the minute use of magenta: the 12, strawberries, motivational posters, and the American flag. Thus, it is evident that through this piece she is attempting to convey the pressures children--primarily Asian-American children-feel. They are pressured in their futures in succeeding their parents and assimilating into American culture. As an Asian-American child myself, I am especially able to relate to this piece; while the “American ideal” preaches one message of acceptance and uniqueness, the typical upbringing of an immigrant child is the complete opposite. It is hard to relate to American values and appreciate the “small things” in life, such as a birthday, with the overbearing pressure of a seemingly gloomy future lays ahead. This piece is conveying this message, with its gloomy colors and the less-than-pleased look upon the child’s face. In relation to the themes, this particular piece displays both: the ardour of being an Asian-American youth and the darkness associated with it.

Another piece that is representative of these ideas is “PRESS START”, a 2012 piece by OMOCAT. This is one of her first pieces, created before her international popularity blossomed. The piece depicts a young boy reaching into a TV, only to have another boy, pixelated and bright, to reach back. The first boy is bleak and boring, with a black-and-white setting and a rather dull demeanor. On the other hand, the world of the other boy is overbearingly bright and flashy, representative of pixelated video games and the brightness presenting something considerably happier.

This piece in particular encapsulates both themes as well. The dull boy reaching for the bright, pixelated boy represents how youths may use video games to escape their sad setting. With its bright colors and flashy neons that scream happiness, it is considerably more appealing than the bleak and monochromatic setting the first boy is in. Thus, he reaches into the TV--the TV through which he can escape his dull world and enter one of happiness. The “‘darkness” in this piece is portrayed through the boy reaching out and looking for escape in the world of the pixelated boy. Instead of searching for a way to color his bleak work, he believes he can just escape and run away to that of the pixelated boys’. I believe that many people may feel this way, although not necessarily with video games--they find pleasure in an unattainable world opposed to their dull one.

While I previously had little appreciation for the messages OMOCAT’s work conveyed and solely valued the aesthetic, growing up allowed me to relate more and more to her artwork and better understand her implications. I was first introduced to her artwork in 2012, and since then I have been avidly following it. I believe OMOCAT’s artwork is beautiful on both these levels--physically and symbolically.

Physically, OMOCAT’s artwork is the epitome of a pleasing aesthetic. Although it may be too flashy for some people’s tastes, it has a unique flair to it with its bright colors and flashing images. The seldom use of dull color is actually quite off-putting, yet it also pulls her work into another dimension that allows the viewer to immerse themselves further into the world her pieces portray. Also notable in her artwork is the frequent cryptic or borderline disturbing ideas presented. While it may be nothing more than a stylistic choice, I think the peculiarities of fish heads and snake brains are all the more appealing. It’s not every day someone chooses to incorporate them into their artwork, and OMOCAT utilizes them brilliantly.

OMOCAT’s work is also popular because of the apparel she puts out with them. The apparel is another reason I am a fan of her (and I also may or may not own one of the sweaters). While the prints are pleasing by themselves, I also adore the way they look on fashion. Wearing her artwork is almost an honor, personally. It brings another dimension to the definition of fashion and allows for more daring styles and outfits typical graphic clothing does not allow for.

On a more symbolic level, OMOCAT’s work displays a great level of darkness foreign to many, including myself. I find it interesting how she is able to portray such dark ideas with bright, neon colors. Sometimes, joining juvenile images with dark and sometimes gory ones is off-putting, yet also intriguing. Nevertheless, these images contribute to the aesthetic pleasure her work grants, on a visionary and symbolic level. OMOCAT’s artwork is unique and although many may dislike it, I believe she is a contemporary artist that has begun to change the art industry from the internet out.

  <- i own this sweater and i love it more than myself

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