Somerset House’s latest exhibition, Cute, is a must-visit for any adult child of the internet age, or indeed any parent of the internet age. The interactive, oppressively stimulating exhibition seeks to explore the “irresistible rise of cuteness in contemporary culture”, charting its history and its grip on the digital world, as well as its darker, more complex facets.
Visitors are led through everything sweet and kawaii (a Japanese word that roughly translates to 'adorable'), from the first documented cat memes way back in the 1870s (yes, they have existed since the first days of photography), to Hello Kitty contact lenses, prettied-up gargoyles and Oxycontin pill plushies. Aw.
