In this work I am continuing on my series titled ‘Bubbles Bubblicious: A Collection of Dreamy Zen Mandala.’ For this show I have created a large size Hello Kitty Mandala surrounded by smaller Bunny/Doll Head Mandalas to pay tribute to my Icon Hello Kitty or Kitty-chan as she is referred to in Japan. In contrast to Western Christian belief where there is one God, Shintoism sees spirits and divinity in nature as well as in objects. I am neither Christian nor a Shintoist, but rather a product of two opposing cultures: the East and the West. I worship mass produced objects and toy characters such as Barbie, Hello Kitty and My Little Pony and I try to put them into Mandalas, a symbol of my personal mythology and universe. By creating a context within which to surround these mass-produced often discarded or trivialized objects I am creating an entrée into my own mystical world in which they can realize their uniqueness and their “isness of things.”

Born in Japan, Leika Akiyama spent her formative years in Tokyo before moving to the United States to attend college.

She has earned her BFA in Painting and MA in Art Therapy from Lesley University.

Her work explores the “kawaii-Japanese cute” phenomena in contemporary art, creating 3D assemblages and installations using found objects and plastic toys.