Cuddly yet creepy. That's the modern Japanese art aesthetic - and the unifying force behind an exhibition opening April 8 at the Japan Society in New York. Dubbed Little Boy, a title which references both the baby-faced protagonists of anime and the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945, the show demonstrates how the visual style of conétemporary Japanese artists emerged from the psychological impact of warfare. "We can see dynamics of impotence, defeat, humiliation, resentment, trauma, and rebirth," says curator Takashi Murakami. "And while only Japan dealt with the specific traumas that bore its kawaii [cute] culture, the pleasure to be experienced from it is universal."

- Reena Jana

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