Bringing kitsch souvenirs home from a trip is sometimes a gamble; you could end up with an interesting conversation piece, a someday-family heirloom or just a cheesy mistake that ends up in storage. What if you live in a city chock full of kitschy souvenirs? Can you bring them into your home and call them art?
AT Asia: Hometown Souvenirs in the Home
We’ve been trawling the Cat Street Market (also known as Upper Lascar Road) off of Hollywood Road since moving to Hong Kong as a thrifting alternative. It offers a pleasant diversion on a busy day, watching tourists look at antique knock-offs and home décor items that we see everywhere. We’ve been returning to a vendor who seems to specialize in Chairman Mao sculptures, drawn to the colours and variety of poses in which he is modelled. So far, we’ve only actually purchased one, and he stands proudly waving at us in our living room, dressed in what seems to be his dressing gown.
Usually a souvenir gains interest once removed from the thousands of exact replicas with which it mwas originally displayed – we think Mao works best en mass, waving at us from as many angles as possible.
Photo and post by Liz
Comments (6)
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kitsch items or tchokes (however you spell that) are funny when you first get them but once the novelty of it wears out, you got this thing that you don't what to do w/. at least that's my impression w/ them. I personally can't stand clutter and currently live w/ a packrat. so the novelty of collecting anything kitsch is appalling.
view lunatig's profile
This made me think of my co-worker's cat..named Chairman Meow!
view suzy8track's profile
I'd never get sick of this stuff if I lived there. It's so much fun. But you raise an interesting question... not sure how I feel about it.
@suzy8track Best cat name ever.
view krisssstin's profile
@ lunatig
I think it moderation kitsch items can be kind of fun. I just have a few little pieces that remind me of home. A wire model of the Empire State Building, a Snow Globe of my University (which plays the OU fight song), and some nice postcards of my hometown.
What I really want is a mini statue of Tulsa's Golden Driller, or praying hands. I think when you come from a town with kitsch it really grows on you and can remind you of home. You just have to do it in moderation.
view Christal's profile
No, it's just colourful clutter, not art.
view bobbin's profile
I have to disagree with bobbin. Art is anything which sends a message. Even mass produced junk can send a message. A happily waving Mao figure in bright colors carries a message of irony, especially when placed in a house in a Democratic nation. It can also convey that the buyer has a certain sense of humor or whimsy. As long as a message is sent, it's art.
I actually don't buy such things as I'm not a fan of knick-knacks because they make dusting harder. However, people give me things and I display them (at least for awhile) to show that I appreciate their thoughts. The most recent was a pair of Kokeshi (http://tinyurl.com/6caxuo). They're hand-painted, but rather commonly available. I guess they could be considered "colorful clutter", though calling them that would seem to be showing disdain for a traditional Japanese art form.
view Orchid64's profile