In early 2023, Los Angeles sign painter and OhNami Gallery owner Nami Oh was searching for a studio spot. She happened upon one in downtown Los Angeles on the block where she was brought up. “My grandparents raised me, and they owned a liquor store on this block,” she recalls. “I just happened to still be around helping the new owners who took over my family’s liquor store, and that’s when my gallery space became available.” Oh works in the back part of the gallery, throwing free community exhibitions in the front of the space. Now, she’s at a point where she needs to generate money to keep the space afloat. After speaking with a friend and fellow artist Michaela Quan, an idea came to mind: selling tickets for a Sanrio fan art show from local Los Angeles artists. “I started prepping for the show and, halfway through, realised it was Hello Kitty’s 50th birthday this year,” says Oh. “So the timing is impeccable, and it has an edge because Los Angeles has so much knockoff Hello Kitty.”
Oh says Fanrio, the Sanrio community art show, is geared towards families living in the area. “The owner prior to me was a clothing brand that held some art shows, but they weren’t geared towards families,” she says. “After being on this block my entire life, I just want to have a place where kids can see art and remember it, so people can have a good time nearby and not have to go to Disneyland or anything.”
She was both nervous and excited for the show’s recent opening. “I’m scared but hopeful that I can ride this throughout the holiday,” she says. The show combines the work of multiple Los Angeles artists, photographers and sign painters, including Oh’s own Sanrio mural on the gallery walls. The result is something Quan lovingly refers to as “friendrio”.
Here, some artists (and friends) exhibiting work in Fanrio chat about their favourite Sanrio characters and keeping community spaces alive.
What is your favourite Sanrio character and why?
Michaela Quan: My favourite Sanrio character is Badtz-maru. I have him tattooed on my right arm. He is a little penguin with a pet alligator and a bad attitude. He runs around with a crew of baddies that don’t take no for an answer. I grew up collecting stationary with him on it, so he is especially nostalgic for me.
Eva Minh-Châu Liebovitz: Pompompurin, for sure. I love his beret and the colour combo of yellow and brown. He also has kind of a rare quality because he isn’t spotlighted the same way as Hello Kitty, Melody, or Kuromi.
Asako Otaki: Hello Kitty, but I actually don’t have a specific reason why she’s my favourite. Like so many other girls, I grew up having Hello Kitty on everything, like clothes, backpacks, pencils and erasers, shoes, and umbrellas. So it’s a natural thing that she’s my favourite.
Jasmine Allam: As a kid, I was always drawn to Chococat. His aloof nature and his eyes wide always resonated with me. Black cats may have a stigma, but as far as I’m concerned, they are a symbol of good luck. My love for Chococat grew after I learned a few years ago that he’s a Taurus, known for their reliability and appreciation for the finer things in life. I never grew out of my Chococat phase. Some things never change.
Joy Mercy: Kuromi! I’ve always loved her cheeky but charming, but I also relate to the fact that she is a little rough on the edges compared to her cute personality.
Marcie Diaz: My favourite Sanrio character would have to be My Melody. There is something so sweet about her, and she’s usually depicted as very shy or nervous, which I related to as the quiet kid growing up.
“A lot of fan art is a bit cringe. But I find when you embrace cringe, it’s actually a relief and a lot more fun.” – Michaela Quan
Alex Horta: My favourite is my girl Hello Kitty. I feel like she’s a boss and, in my eyes, that’s winning.
Tell me about your fan art for the Ohnami Gallery show. What did you decide to create and why?
Michaela Quan: My Fanrio piece includes 13 subjects (including myself), all pictured close up wearing face-painted versions of their favourite Sanrio character. I created this piece because I wanted a reason to invite people to the show, which is run by my upstairs neighbour. A lot of fan art is a bit cringe. But I find when you embrace cringe, it’s actually a relief and a lot more fun.
Eva Minh-Châu Liebovitz: I made two beaded curtains. The Keroppi curtain was made to donate the profit to Palestinian aid. I love seeing crafts in gallery spaces. The sentimental items that adorn our homes and the pieces of art that we interact with are sacred, too.
Asako Otaki: I created a little table because I recently got my own studio and wanted to have a cute table to go with my decor. I wanted to paint something that would make me happy every time I look at it, so I painted my favourite car, which is a 1956 Chevrolet Belair, and my favourite trio, Hello Kitty, My Melody and Kuromi.
Jasmine Allam: I instinctively knew I wanted to paint Chococat in a hot air balloon. Having him travel felt relevant to this stage in my life – moving away from my family and hometown in the East Bay Area to start a new journey in LA with my eyes wide. When I look at this piece, it not only reminds me of the journey I embarked from the Bay to LA, but also the journeys of my loved ones, including the one my parents embarked from the Philippines to the States.
Joy Mercy: I chose Hello Kitty as my subject based on my mum, who is a long-time fan of hers. For my piece, I decided to create something based on the depiction of Mother Mary holding Baby Jesus, inspired by the baroque style of Roman Catholic artworks. I thought it was a lovely idea since I already create religiously inspired works, but also combined it with my anime and manga style.
Marcie Diaz: For the show, I made an oil painting titled ‘Miss Kitty White’ along with a custom frame. I felt like I had to honour Hello Kitty since it’s her 50th anniversary. It led me down a rabbit hole of her origins and who Hello Kitty was. Surprisingly she is not a cat, she’s a little girl, named Kitty White, who lives in England with her family. So, I leaned into that and painted Kitty imagining and submersing herself in the world of Sanrio that she created.
Alex Horta: I made two wood cut-outs of Hello Kitty. I like to make what makes me happy. Sometimes, that’s a goth kitty and lowrider popsicle.
As an LA-based artist, why do you think spaces like OhNami Gallery are important?
Michaela Quan: We need spaces run by folks who are born and raised in LA with personal ties to the area, and we don’t need more dispensaries.
Eva Minh-Châu Liebovitz: It’s incredibly important to have galleries and shows that do not draw from traditional fine art channels. It’s important to have places like this, where you don’t have to hold your breath and be quiet in a gallery and where young people can walk in to access the pieces and engage comfortably.
Asako Otaki: I think Nami’s gallery space is very important to us because it’s in the middle of downtown, and we want more people from different places to come see our art.
Jasmine Allam: Trade Tech culture is a one-of-a-kind experience; a space for those who truly want to be there and will work for their place in it. OhNami Gallery is an extension of that, paying dues to achieve true craftsmanship.
Joy Mercy: I find spaces like the OhNami Gallery significantly important to smaller artists like me, especially with how nerve-racking it can be to put artwork on display for the first time.
Marcie Diaz: The thing I loved most about this space is the sense of community. It is so important to immerse ourselves in art, and this is something that everyone can enjoy.
Alex Horta: For me, personally, it’s a way to connect with other artists.
Fanrio is open to visitors on multiple dates throughout August and September, 2024.