Cajsa Lilliehook covers the best in virtual world screenshot art and digital painting
Kawaii is the Japanese word for cute and has come to define a cultural movement that may have begun in Japan but has conquered the world, crossing cultures and uniting young people in a worldview that is charming, sweet, darling, and above all else, cute. This week, I am going to highlight five great Second Life photographers who capture the spirit of kawaii.
Myka Semyorka did the opening photo as well as the one above. Kawaii is cute, but it is not facile and the Good-Evil photo reminds us of that. Semyorka is a story-telling photographer and her stream is filled with stories. Many of her photos are constructed on several planes, all filled with details that tell her story. Spending time looking at the totality of her photos as well as the details reveal the thought she puts into her shots, often some little bit of humor you could easily miss. She has a blog you can check out at 🌸🌸🌸ブログクレジット🌸🌸🌸 [Mika Madoka].
Aru arpeged also tells fun stories with her photos. Her stream is full of pictures of her doing things with friends and taking full advantage of the new articulate Bento hands. Her photos evoke more emotion than the simple, “awww, that’s cute.” Kawaii is cute, but it encompasses a wide range of emotions, including sorrow, loneliness, and alienation along with the cute and adorable. You can also see her work on her blog which she publishes in English and Japanese as Eat☻Nap☺Play.
Three more below the break!
ᴋᴜøɴ（pnknkitin resident) uses lighting beautifully, bringing her pictures to life. Her photostream mixes fun photos, vendor pictures, and videos with friends doing choreographed dances. I love how she uses lighting and her bold confidence. Her photos range from cotton candy sweetness to bold fantasy. Her stream is also a mix of casual snaps to capture memories and carefully composed photos to express her aesthetic. It’s her SL story.
ʏᴏᴏɴᴀ٩(๑❛ᴗ❛๑)۶ loves to frame her subject with adorable items like balloons, leaves, stuffed animals. Just about every picture is beautifully framed. She is imaginative and does not shy from bold colors. You can also find her work on her blog, Yunbongs.
Bomi is a bold photographer who easily stretches the boundaries of kawaii, mixing some pretty grim fetish elements of BDSM (Look at her bloody bandaged feet.) with kawaii. Can bloody feet be cute? It could so easily cross lines, and certainly, some may think it already does, but I find the dichotomy challenging and fresh. It makes me uncomfortable, but then comfort is not why we seek out art. You can also see her work on her blog M A R C H 6 I X.
As you can see Bomi also does more easily recognized kawaii as well. But even this photo which might be considered conventional kawaii is animated by an intellect that asks us to take a second look and perhaps even a second thought.
Cajsa Lilliehook joined Second Life in 2007 and has been enjoying the art of SL ever since. Disliking the common practice of critiquing poor photos, she decided to highlight good ones and explain why they work in hopes of inspiring with praise instead of criticism. Follow Cajsa on Flickr, on Twitter or on her blog.
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