The week of January 25 th had been a hard week. A week that tested me and made me question the viability of being an artist in L.A. My birthday was on the 23 rd and as each year before, I was left feeling void. So two days later, when I had to go to The Standard downtown to cover the Kid Robot show, I was less than enthusiastic. Little did I know I’d be walking away that night in some strange type of euphoria.

I arrived at about 10 pm with a colleague to a hoard of fans circling the block waiting eagerly for their turn to go up to the second floor. We looked at each other, wide-eyed at the elbow to elbow traffic. I thought to myself that there must be some celebrity spokes person at the end of the rainbow. I secretly hoped that Prince or Madonna or one of those other one-name anomalies would be greeting me at the top of the escalator. With a bit of push and pull, our press status finally allowed us to delicately weave through a crowd of hundreds and make our way up to the action. And as I peered around shoulders to the top of the escalator and finally set foot onto the second floor, my hopes were as fulfilled and dashed in one swift movement as I could have ever anticipated. For although there was no Prince or Madonna there was an anomaly awaiting me…Kid Robot.

It takes a lot these days to become a household name…and even more to become one while remaining true to your ideals. We have called these people phenomenons by pop-culture standards. And as I looked around me there was no doubt in my mind that I was witnessing a phenomenon. People of all ages circled the floor, jived to the djs, posed for pictures in the “Dunny” gallery, and waited eagerly to get their recent “Dunny” doll purchase signed by the artists themselves. So it was obvious that the Kid Robot culture was taking a stronghold on the masses. But I couldn’t help ask…why?

Coming from an urban, collaborative, graffiti culture Kid Robot has somehow made the underground come out of hiding.

I couldn’t help but question how one can remain “underground” yet take on inherent mainstream qualities? Within an hour of the doors opening 2/3rds of the Dunny dolls had been sold. And what are these things? They are a small doll that is like a blank canvas. Dunny gives the consumer the opportunity to be an artist. They can add any number of artistic mediums to the doll to make it their own.

The conflict for me though, is that for a bunch of people that see the artistic value of graffiti art, why in the hell would they take it out of the public forum, put it on a doll and sell “graffiti rights” in a pretty package? I felt as though the people around me were somehow being duped by a bunch of smart-ass artists.

Maybe I’m wrong. Because after all, I do believe that art should be public. That art is one of the most viable means of communication. It is one of the few truly honest means of expression. Or…at least has the potential to be. And in my opinion, should be treated as such. And everyone should have the right and opportunity to create art. And sometimes I think it takes a bit of encouragement. With names like Picasso, Banksy, Van Gogh, Warhol, and Rauschenberg looming over us…one’s “talent” can often be undermined by one’s own self doubt. Here’s where Kid Robot comes in and says…Hey man, it’s ok, do whatever you want. I’ll give you the tools and a hug and let you know that whatever you do…it’s ok and even beautiful…because you’re participating.

There is no doubt in my mind that the result is good. Kid Robot has in essence said that underground and mainstream shouldn’t be so distinct. The point is that art, music, style is part of who we are as people and that we all have the right of expression. And as one doll in the gallery boldly states “Fuck Your Toys” …what I think it’s really saying is fuck your ideals.

Mainstream should represent the true culture that exists in all of us. Isn’t that what mainstream really means? That the majority rules, popular choice? So really, underground art, culture, and expression that is within all of us should really be the mainstream. These semantics boundaries make for a cultural divide that just isn’t necessary. And as I perused the floor and spoke to some die-hard followers, the response was consistent. Lisa and Jeremy (seen below customizing their Dunny dolls) expressed what I heard over an over again.

When asked “Why Kid Robot?” they said that they found the culture and ideals that Kid Robot represents to be “refreshing” and “unique” and “something [they] can identify with” and that they enjoyed the freedom of expression that Kid Robot endorses.

So even though maybe Kid Robot presents a forum that I can’t identify with on a personal level…I can certainly feel a warm fuzzy feeling knowing that people both young and old have found someone that welcomes them with open arms and puts the highest premium on art…freedom.