Kitsch is in - Love it or Loathe it?

I recently stumbled upon a 2013 Guardian article by Jonathan Jones - Kitsch art: love it or loathe it.

It brought front of mind the time my sculpture teacher at the Brisbane Institute of Art told me my work was "kitsch but that he found me very unique and original.

Now when you look up the definition of this word, (see below) I could be offended that he may have thought my creations were garish and vulgar!

kitsch - kĭch (noun)

1. Pieces of art or other objects that appeal to popular or uncultivated taste, as in being garish or overly sentimental.

2. Art, decorative objects and other forms of representation of questionable artistic or aesthetic value; a representation that is excessively sentimental, overdone, or vulgar.

3. excessively garish or sentimental art; usually considered in bad taste.

However, I don't believe so. I do feel from his POV they may have been excessively garish and sentimental, and for me that is OK! I deliberately aim to be both those traits when creating a piece. I'm not a fan of bland or neutral - I need a color explosion... and also I may often times take this too far and not stop when I should.. but this is all part of the experimenting and learning that goes with creating.

Minimalism and monotone is out and maximalism is IN!

"A celebration of color, clutter, and self-expression. Born from a nostalgic appreciation of the over-the-top Y2K aesthetic — which itself was inspired by ‘80s opulence — maximalism shows us why more is more. This newfound appreciation of objects, trinkets, memorabilia, art, and color serve as the seed of other popular aesthetic trend as we are seeing all over TikTok and other social platforms.

I am all up for this rebellion against minimalism - let's do this.