LISA MALANIJ // D1GIT4L F4SH10N BL0G: manga

"さよなら宇宙" Good-bye The cosmos2013 Hikari Shimoda

CREEPY CUTE // KAWAII
(・㉨・) ♡ ／(･ × ･)＼

In 2010 I discovered Japanese pop-artist, Hikari Shimoda　下田ひかり's creepy cute/kawaii magical girls and super hero saviors in their neon pastel surrealistic worlds and blank stares. I was mesmerized by her artwork and her message.
Artist Statement from her Sweet Streets LA artist page:

"HIKARI SHIMODA:

Based in Nagano, Japan, Hikari Shimoda first studied illustration at the prestigious Kyoto Saga University of Art and Aoyama Juku School before beginning her career as a contemporary artist in 2008. Soon afterward, Shimoda was selected for her first solo exhibition at Motto Gallery in Tokyo, and since then has held exhibitions annually in galleries worldwide, spanning Japan, the United States, Canada, and Milano, Italy. Shimoda’s artwork paints a world where cuteness and horror coexist, and fantasy meets reality. She credits the Japanese pop culture she grew up with as the main source of inspiration of her Lowbrow “Irasuto” style, which means artwork made by people inspired by anime and manga. There are often children putting on heroic costumes such as Superman and “shojo” or magical girls, an anime sub-genre of young girls who use magic. Through depicting children especially, Shimoda reveals the problems people in today’s society struggle with from within. Children possess a simple existence because their identity is ambiguous which provides her with an original point of view. In her “Whereabouts of God” portrait series of other-worldly horned children, she also comments on Christianity’s anointment of Jesus Christ as savior of humanity and mirror of our fantasy heroes. These characters not only represent heroism but an adult desire to watch our children grow and defend the world we have constructed. With each new piece, Shimoda advances her search for salvation and her deeper understanding of this chaotic world."

HIKARI SHIMODA OFFICIAL SITE: http://hikarishimoda.com/
SWEET STREETS LA GALLERY: http://sweetstreetsla.com/artist/hikari-shimoda
MY FACEBOOK COSPLAY PAGE!: LISXXOR cosplay

Super Hero Bear Boy selfie via Instagram - LISXXOR cosplay

I've been wanting to cosplay characters from her paintings for a while now (the Super Hero), but didn't know when would be the best time. I decided to make these costumes when Ohaycon announced they were having a special "magical girl" themed category in their 2014 masquerade. I was even happier to discover there was a "magical boy" category, which would fit Hikari's Super Heroes perfectly.

My cosplay versions of the Super Heroes was my way of celebrating her art through my fashion skills. Like I love these lil guys so much I want to make them real!
Originally I was only going to make the original blue Bear Boy Super Hero, but fell equally in love with the mischievous Bunny Boy Super Hero from her more recent series, "Before Worlds Were Born".
Always the ambitions one, I decided to make both Bear and Bunny Super Hero outfits, since they are essentially color swaps of each other. But really I ended up making 4 different interchangeable costumes.
I'm glad I did, because I ENDED UP WINNING "BEST MAGICAL BOY" CRAFTSMASHIP in the Ohaycon 2014 Cosplay Masquerade!!!