Greg McIndoe – Miffy Art Parade
An art parade celebrating 60 years of Miffy the bunny is currently on display in the character’s home country of the Netherlands, and also in Japan.
60 statues measuring 1.8 metres have been decorated by artists from those countries. Among the artists taking part is Dick Bruna’s daughter, Madelon Bruna.
Miffy’s art parade will be on display until 30 September, with 45 statues on display in Amsterdam, Utrecht and The Hague whilst the remaining 15 will accompany a travelling exhibition in Japan. The statues will be auctioned in October in support of UNICEF.
In contrast to the usual tight control kept over reproductions of Dick Bruna’s global icon, the artists were given free reign to create their own interpretation of the character. The resulting collection of eclectic and dynamic statues reflects a wide range of artistic influences, including elements of Dutch culture.
Fashion is a key theme within many of the designs, with several of the artists choosing to focus on the attire of their Miffy statue, including a carrot-themed dress from Makoto Oozu, a knitted cardigan from Kesennuma Knitting Co., and a gold charm chain accessory from Studio Job.
Ever since the books first appeared in Japan in the early 1960s, Miffy has remained hugely popular – her simple silhouette chiming with the country’s love of minimalism. Several of the artists have chosen to explore this minimalist theme including Rob Scholte with his ying & yang-style statue entitled ‘Grijs’ and Kenjiro Sano with his ghost-esque Miffy, aptly named ‘Het spook nijntje’.
To coincide with the parade, an online shop has been launched with a whole host of Miffy merchandise on sale including a Miffy Art Parade Book containing beautiful photography of all the miffy art parade statues and in depth background stories of the artists involved.
From mini replicas of the Miffy statues to Miffy calendars, posters to iPhone covers, there is everything you could possibly need to celebrate Miffy’s 60th year. There is even a blank mini statue which you can decorate, giving you the chance to create your very own Miffy!
This is just one of many plans to celebrate Miffy, her creator and her fans of all ages. To find out more visit http://www.miffy.com