By spending an unhealthy amount of time on instagram during quarantine I noticed a quite intriguing trend, posts of a cute Japanese character Hello Kitty with anti police messages next to her, also known as ACAB Hello Kitty. The posts looked extremely bizarre. The juxtaposition of pink and white cartoon cat, and an extremely serious systemic issue read borderline ironic to me. At the same time it didn't feel all that wrong since the ACAB (abbreviation for All Cops Are Bastards) message portrayed in the imagery was a rightful critique of the prison industrial complex. So although the context of the images felt uncanny I brushed it off and chose to ignore it. It wasn't until learning about aestheticization of politics - a form of performative activism which sanitizes violence and commercializes radical aesthetics, that I began to realize the awful consequences of such “harmless” posts. ACAB Hello Kitty frames violence as cute and glamorous, for the sake of "woke" presentation on the internet, essentially doing the opposite of what it originally stood for. It normalizes and dilutes horrible crises rather than confronting the viewer with the terror of police brutality. Through such imagery we distance ourselves from that reality, consuming violence in a safe, non threatening way. We use it to cope with the horror of the real world, becoming desensitized to it in the process. My goal with this artwork was to show the horror in trivialized juxtaposition of performative activism we so confidently share on our Instagram stories. I wanted to hold up a mirror to society and inspire the viewer to go beyond the thoughtless "woke" ways to progress their activist identity, such as reading, volunteering and donating toward the causes they care about.

For centuries, art has been a universal language, from ritual cave paintings and religious manuscripts to revolutionary posters and global advertisements. It's a form of communication everyone is familiar with, no matter your background or place of origin. When I first moved to the United States, my biggest struggle came with learning English. No matter how much time I spent studying, it never seemed enough to converse with my peers comfortably. So instead, I dug myself into drawing, creating fictional worlds and characters to speak for me. Although no one could understand my words, my classmates soon got to know me through the language of my artwork. But as I improved in English literacy, it never entirely replaced image-making as a means of self-expression. I liked the fluidity yet comprehension of art, how one can say so little but mean so much. As I matured and learned more about the role visuals play in our daily lives the more fascinated I became with them. I started paying close attention to advertisements, fonts, and product designs. A simple trip to the mall turned into a museum-like experience. I loved to notice correlations between the styles of packaging and the kind of people who were drawn to it. I soon came to the conclusion that people find comfort in design and create their own "brands" through the products they choose. We make millions of decisions in our life choosing very specific images, messages, and things to surround ourselves by. We may not even put much thought into it, but it speaks volumes. I truly believe that understanding and mastering the skill of design can be used to help this world in an incredible amount of ways. By presenting messages in the most effective ways, we can fight climate change, animal cruelty, and systemic oppression. By changing the way people see this world, artists and designers worldwide can start thought revolutions and bring a new sense of unity to the divided humankind. I see my future self as one of those people. My goal is to create universally understandable designs that will not only enhance this world but also challenge its preconceived notions.

Originally intended as a symbol of radical critique of the prison industrial complex, ACAB Hello Kitty servers as a form of performative activism which sanitizes violence and commercializes radical aesthetic. ACAB Hello Kitty frames violence as cute and glamorous, for the sake of "woke" presentation on the internet, essentially doing the opposite of what it originally stood for. It normalizes and dilutes horrible crises rather than confronting the viewer with the terror of police brutality. Through such imagery we distance ourselves from that reality, consuming violence in a safe, non threatening way. My goal with this artwork was t? show the horror in trivialized juxtaposition of performative activism we so confidently share on our Instagram stories, and inspire the viewer to go beyond the thoughtless "woke" ways to progress their activist identity, such as reading, volunteering and donating toward the causes they care about

For centuries, art has been a universal language, from ritual cave paintings and religious manuscripts to revolutionary posters and global advertisements. It's a form of communication everyone is familiar with, no matter your background or place of origin. When I first moved to the United States, my biggest struggle came with learning English. No matter how much time I spent studying, it never seemed enough to converse with my peers comfortably. So instead, I dug myself into drawing, creating fictional worlds and characters to speak for me. Although no one could understand my words, my classmates soon got to know me through the language of my artwork. But as I improved in English literacy, it never entirely replaced image-making as a means of self-expression. I liked the fluidity yet comprehension of art, how one can say so little but mean so much. The power art holds is truly incredible. We make millions of decisions in our life choosing very specific images, messages, and things to surround ourselves by. We may not even put much thought into it, but it speaks volumes. I truly believe that understanding and mastering the skill of art and design can be used to help this world in an incredible amount of ways. By presenting messages in the most effective ways, we can fight climate change, animal cruelty, and systemic oppression. By changing the way people see the world, artists and designers worldwide can start thought revolutions and bring a new sense of unity to the divided humankind. I see myself as one of those people.

When I first moved to the United States, my biggest struggle came with learning English. No matter how much time I spent studying, it never seemed enough to converse with my peers comfortably. So instead, I dug myself into drawing, creating fictional worlds and characters to speak for me. Although no one could understand my words, my classmates soon got to know me through the language of my artwork. As I improved in English literacy, it never entirely replaced image-making as a means of self-expression. I liked the fluidity yet comprehension of art, how one can say so little but mean so much. I truly believe that understanding and mastering the skill of art can be used to help this world in an incredible amount of ways. By presenting messages in the most effective ways, we can fight climate change, animal cruelty, and systemic oppression. By changing the way people see this world, artists and designers worldwide can start thought revolutions and bring a new sense of unity to the divided humankind. I see my future self as one of those people. My goal is to create universally understandable designs that will not only enhance this world but also challenge its preconceived notions. Under the covers in sixth grade, my dear friend has told me that I will impact this world in an incredible way one day. She doesn't know how yet but she promised it was true. Because I am a fighter and will simply not stop until I do. I see my future full of color and adventure, empathy and hard work. I know that while working in the field I love and a place where I belong, I will never age, get old, or die. I will simply keep living, constantly trying to outdo my past self.

For centuries, art has been a universal language, from ritual cave paintings and religious manuscripts to revolutionary posters and global advertisements. It's a form of communication everyone is familiar with, no matter your background or place of origin. When I first moved to the United States, my biggest struggle came with learning English. No matter how much time I spent studying, it never seemed enough to converse with my peers comfortably. So instead, I dug myself into drawing, creating fictional worlds and characters to speak for me. Although no one could understand my words, my classmates soon got to know me through the language of my artwork. But as I improved in English literacy, it never entirely replaced image-making as a means of self-expression. I liked the fluidity yet comprehension of art, how one can say so little but mean so much. As I matured and learned more about the role visuals play in our daily lives the more fascinated I became with them. I started paying close attention to advertisements, fonts, and product designs. A simple trip to the mall turned into a museum-like experience. I loved to notice correlations between the styles of packaging and the kind of people who were drawn to it. I soon came to the conclusion that people find comfort in design and create their own "brands" through the products they choose. We make millions of decisions in our life choosing very specific images, messages, and things to surround ourselves by. We may not even put much thought into it, but it speaks volumes. I truly believe that understanding and mastering the skill of design can be used to help this world in an incredible amount of ways. By presenting messages in the most effective ways, we can fight climate change, animal cruelty, and systemic oppression. By changing the way people see this world, artists and designers worldwide can start thought revolutions and bring a new sense of unity to the divided humankind. I see my future self as one of those people. My goal is to create universally understandable designs that will not only enhance this world but also challenge its preconceived notions. Under the covers in sixth grade, my dear friend has told me that I will impact this world in an incredible way one day. She does not know how yet but she promised it was true. Because I am a fighter and will simply not stop until I do. I see my future full of color and adventure, empathy and hard work. I know that while working in the field I love and a place where I belong, I will never age, get old, or die. I will simply keep living, constantly trying to outdo my past self.