context changes appreciation (Labubu)

There's an upcoming exhibition at the Azabudai Hills Gallery about "The Monsters" by Kasing Lung. They've put up these big window stickers, and I've been walking past them every day when heading to work. I was surprised how much I liked the illustrations / artwork for these. A few years ago, when Labubus were all the rage, I was mostly indifferent, but had a slightly negative reaction to them ("another one of these stupid viral trends, grumble grumble"). Even now, I don't like the plush toys; they look very tacky. The 2D art of these characters has some charm to it, though. I like the rough and scribbled lines that makes them seem like children's drawings, re-drawn by a professional artist (in a heta-uma kind of way). In their zaniness, they remind me of the art of Takashi Murakami. Reading a bit more about the author and the "lore" of the characters also let me draw some parallels to the Moomins, which I love. Before, I always saw Labubu as a substanceless product, but finding out…