Kitty Negora

Konatsu Koizumi is a Japanese artist and toy designer best known for her adorable yet fierce kaiju (monster) art toys, particularly her signature character, Negora—a cat-inspired kaiju. Her work blends traditional Japanese aesthetics with modern sofubi (soft vinyl) toy culture, creating highly collectible and charming figures. Her most famous creation, Negora, is a cat-like monster with a playful yet destructive personality, inspired by classic Japanese kaiju movies like Godzilla and Ultraman. Beyond Negora, she has designed other animal-based creatures like Shibara (a Shiba Inu kaiju), Pigora (a pig monster), and Daioh Negora (a larger, more powerful version of Negora). Her work has gained a strong following among sofubi collectors, kaiju fans, and designer toy enthusiasts, making Konatsu one of the most recognizable contemporary sofubi artists in Japan. Mixed media tends to refer to a work of visual art that combines various traditionally distinct visual art media. For example, a work on canvas that combines paint, ink, and collage could properly be called a "mixed media" work. When creating a painted or photographed work using mixed media it is important to choose the layers carefully and allow enough drying time between the layers to ensure the final work will have integrity. If many different media are used it is equally important to choose a sturdy foundation upon which the different layers are imposed. Many interesting effects can be achieved by using mixed media. Often, found objects are used in conjunction with traditional artist media, such as paints and graphite, to express a meaning in the everyday life. In this manner, many different elements of art become more flexible than with traditional artist media. The Japanese American National Museum presents Hello! Exploring the Supercute World of Hello Kitty, the first large-scale Hello Kitty museum retrospective in the United States. Organized as part of the global icon’s 40th-anniversary celebrations, the exhibition examines the colorful history of Hello Kitty and her influence on popular culture. Hello! includes an extensive product survey, with rare and unique items from the Sanrio archives, alongside a selection of innovative contemporary artworks inspired by Hello Kitty and her world. Hello! is curated by Christine Yano, PhD, author of Pink Globalization: Hello Kitty’s Trek Across the Pacific, and Jamie Rivadeneira, founder and owner of the Los Angeles pop culture boutique JapanLA.