STORY: Hello Kitty is celebrating her 50th anniversary in 2024

and London's Somerset House is paying homage

to the iconic cat in an exhibition called CUTE

(Claire Catterall, Senior Curator, Somerset House)

“Well, Hello Kitty is the icon of cuteness. She is cute’s ambassador. So we couldn't not have her in the show. And we wanted to celebrate her. It's interesting how powerful she is..."

The exhibition explores 'cuteness' in art,

music, fashion, video games and social media

It features Hello Kitty products and

memorabilia from the past five decades

“Well, there are lots of different sides to cuteness. And there's light and dark. So on the one side, it's really, pleasurable. It's pure pleasure. It's also comforting, but it's also incredibly manipulative and monstrous. So the exhibition shows both the light and the dark of cuteness. So if you think you know cuteness, think again.”

CUTE will run at Somerset House until April 14