Sumonmyoji

The artwork is painted in a glossy pop art red, depicting a cat as a sumo wrestler. It is part of Ando’s series of cat sculptures, where he presents a contemporary twist on the maneki-neko – lucky cat. Ando merges the traditional maneki-neko with references to his generation’s obsession with anime and the Hello Kitty craze.

About Hiro Ando

Drawing on ideas of collectability and fantasy, Japanese artist Hiro Ando combines tradition with contemporary culture in his sculpture work. Ando’s work shares the neo-pop spirit who refutes the idea that art is superior to others and aims to demonstrate that popular culture, consumer society and art are on the same floor and can cohabit in the same image. Ando expresses a lighter side of neo-pop, highlighting that contemporary art can be both fun and have wide appeal.