Meleha Ahmad - Toki Doki

I guess at first glance, this piece by Simone Legno may look like nothing more than a doodle, a cartoon or at most a poster that some Japanese teenage girl (or guy!) might put on their wall. But as a devoted fan of Legno’s, and someone who has a profound appreciation for Japanese doodles, I would say that this piece along with many of his others has deep meaning attached to it. It represents the culture shift, from ethnic to highly Westernized, that has taken place in Japan (and all over the Asian world) in the past few decades. It highlights the cultural rift that is felt between the new generations and the old ones. The young girl depicted is in no doubt “modern”: after all, she DOES have a giant tattoo sprawled across her back (and she is ONLY wearing knee highs). But her white painted face is reminiscent of the Geisha days in Japan and has a more ethnic connotation. The picture of the nurse, the band aids and the bubble towards the bottom - which contains a picture of what looks like a baby - may be referring to abortion, which again, represents a matter of the cultural shift that has taken place in the new generations of the Asian world.