This conversation from Kitty Hell:

Michael:

Joseph -
Are you an inappropriate appropriator casually drawing on anything that takes your fancy? Or are you an edgy artist challenging cultural sensitivities in a globalised context?
Maybe you are, as you say, an innocent illustrator dabbling with dolls. So I presume to critique your work on that level.
As others have already noted, you have applied a male moko to a female figure – or put a hair-bow on a male head.
Also, you seem to have missed a really interesting of aspect of moko which is that the foreground pattern should be in the clear skin – the ink is the background that reveals the person’s whakapapa (heritage) and place in the community.
Or is this disrespect for authenticity just another layer of post-modern ironic wit?
I do recognise that the work has been accomplished with commendable precision.
All the best.

Joseph:

Hi Michael.
Thank you for your great letter.
Yes indeed, Kitty is a mish-mash of male and female ‘forces’.
The use of male moko / tattoo is a comment on how something so innocuous can become a cultural icon (in this case, Hello Kitty) and, through their instant recognisabilty, become more powerful than the simple conventions of sexuality or identity.
My other ‘Kittys’ forgo the usual “she’s a girl” rules and show how, no matter what “dressing” you put on someone, they are still the same under it all.
Kitty may be wearing a warrior’s moko but her ‘mana’ comes from her honest ‘kitty-ness’. It doesn’t change, no matter how ’staunch’ you paint her.

Sean:

Please remove this picture of this shit doll and learn a little about my peoples culture before you go screwing around with it.
It is offensive in so many ways and I don’t really want to show it to my whanau or kaumatua, Putting a Ta Moko of the male on a female doll WTF !!! I don’t know what you think art is but thats not it bro so just make good and remove it a.

Marie:

Well Joseph, it has a point of difference..lol You said you didn’t want people hating on you, well you stuffed up there when you used Maori designs in a controversial way. A suggestion, next time do some research! I’m Maori and an artist but Im not offended with it, just annoyed at your lack of research into the culture and the designs as it has come off culturally inappropriate, insensitive and ignorant. It has a controversial spin and people will either love it or hate it! I think most Maori will hate it but thats my own opinion!!

I think this is an interesting case. Looking at this guys other work it’s obvious that he is extremely good at what he does. So what I don’t get is why this bit of work was so badly thought through.

I don’t think there was any malicious intent with this work. I don’t think the guy was trying to offend anyone. Quite the opposite, I think as a graphic designer he understands the design skill behind traditional moko. But seriously this is really badly flawed.

I absolutely agree that he should have done a hell of a lot more research for this illustration. By not grasping the simplest concepts of ta moko design he has completely missed the opportunity to do something really clever.

What else concerns me is where the design inspiration actually came from. I have heard stories in the past of people from other parts of the world copying historic ta moko designs onto their faces. I’m not sure why I’m guessing they’re going for the ‘tribal’ look or something. But often the copies were direct which has meant that some random person has literally got someone else’s whakapapa on their face. So that’s not just appropriation, it’s a form of identity theft. I really hope that this illustration is not one of these cases.

The other issue that I wonder about is if Joseph thought that he wouldn’t have gotten a reaction like this? I don’t believe that as someone working in the design industry in New Zealand wouldn’t have heard of the various examples of overseas companies engaging in cultural appropriation with Maori culture; especially the Lego case. I’d really hate to think this was an intentional publicity stunt.

I would advise Joseph to really think hard about having this piece on line. It will upset a lot of people. And given he is a professional illustrator with an established company, that might not be a good thing. If he does leave it online. I think it should be modified with some of the artistic and cultural critique in mind. And he really needs to have some written information with the piece to explain his motives behind creating it.

props: Tangatawhenua.com for the story

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