“Once Upon a Time in KittyWood” | Tarantino x Hello Kitty-inspired POP ART by Sean Danconia
ONCE UPON A TIME IN KITTYWOOD (SIXTY-SIX IS MY TRICK) | Limited Edition Art Canvas Giclee | Sean Danconia
Spanish designer Cristóbal Balenciaga is back in the eye of fashion’s beauty beholders—but not entirely for the best of reasons. Over the past few years, The Balenciaga fashion house has made a massive BLOW UP resurgence under new, dynamic leadership (see: Demna Gvasalia)—propelled by wild couture, toyetic color schemes and irreverent marketing. But that marketing push has recently been marred in controversy due to a very questionable advertising campaign. So when a client requested a Balenciaga-tribute piece featuring a Hello Kitty-inspired heroine, Danconia decided that time-travel might solve a whole range of problems including the brand’s recent issues. \(^ヮ^)/
And when those titillating Tardis dream-ideas started to flow in rainbow colors—all the way back to the iconic era that Cristóbal dominated, Danconia decided he needed a new (imaginary) writing partner. I mean, WHO other than Quentin Tarantino is a bigger champion of 60’s pop-culture—and so “Once Upon a Time”became Danconia’s gateway drug wobbly worm-hole all the way back to KITTYWOOD, 1966—baby!
Below: Some of the visual references below used in the art.
Danconia’s story concept for “ONCE UPON A TIME IN KITTYWOOD” follows:
”Picture it (no pun). 2022. Balenciaga is the most sought-after boujee brand in Beverly Hills thanks to visionary couturier Cristóbal Balenciaga. And Miss Feline Fine (aka Kitty Bardot)—hot off her appearance in her kawaii collab Kenneth Anger art film, “And God Created Cat”—arrives at the Balenciaga Boutique, only to discover that it’s…CLOSED? But how? Why? She checks the interweb but their accounts have been taken off-line. Tapping into the AI-Musk-Matrix—Bardot learns the terrible truth! Time-Lord Louis “LaMarchand” Vuitton tricked Cristóbal into opening the Lament Configuration puzzle box all the way back in 1966, leading to the eventual take-over of the brand by the dreaded Cinnabon-Bites—anti-fashion fascist forces from the depths of the basement floor of Takashimaya (right under the iconic TeaBox cafe) (✿◠‿◠)
So what’s a kitty to do? (ʘ‿ʘ)ノ✿ Simple. Steal a Tardis from Doctor Who! (and his scarf). Theme said Tardis with Tuxedo Sam and then travel back to 1966 (Rodeo Drive!), buy all the original merch while having a swingin’ sixties good time—oh and STOP Louis Vuitton in his treacherous tracks!
ONCE UPON A TIME IN KITTYWOOD | Gloss Canvas Giclee | DANCONIA GALLERY (Dallas, Texas)
Along the way—she meets up with CHER! The Real Don Steele (w/ Felix The Cat tee)! John Lennon (blocking a Grateful Dead poster)! Paul McCartney! Brad Pitt playing someone from 1966! The ICEE bear! Red Hot Riding Hood! Bat-Girl! Snoopy (love interest)! Woodstock (the bird)! Badtz Maru! Judy in Disguise with Glasses! The whole KHJ 93 AM staff (in Archie form + Charlie Tuna)! Rorry the Squirrel! Eric Von Zipper! Joey Kardashian (taped up)! Hello Zilla-Vuitton! And more plus a stop at IN-N-OUT Burger for a Human-Style Double Double, then to the Magic Castle plus Bob’s Big Boy (now called Hello Burger)—all this and Mexican Coke Kool Aid too! (❦ ᴗ ❦ ✿)” And we THINK (a) Pink panther?”
☆*:.｡.o(≧▽≦)o.｡.:*☆
The rainbow-infused art begins with an overarching homage to the infamous Grained Calfskin Rainbow Bag. From there, 60’s iconography, colorations, characters, memorabilia, signage and destinations flow from an irreverent yet reverential double trouble fountain featuring Hello Kitty-inspired cuteness acting as the silly string that binds this special period in American history—with nods to French, British, Spanish and Japanese (pop)cultural influences. And while the documentary was not released until 1972, Reyner Banham Loves Los Angeles captures the essence of this whole crazy n’ cool 60’s Californian aesthetic sensibility. ★~(◡ω◡✿)
Reyner Banham Loves Los Angeles | 1972 | BBC Films production, architectural historian Reyner Banham takes the viewer on a tour of what he describes as the “four ecologies” of the city of Los Angeles: Surfurbia, Foothills, The Plains of Id, and Autopia (beach, basin, foothills, freeways). (Open Source Cities)
Banham's view:
"A truly great city also offers a man a mechanism for imposing his own style and his own vision on the rest of the world.
'Twas for this kind of thing that the young William Shakespeare came to London…came to (a) London already choking in a pawl of coal smog, riddled with VD and violence, a rotten city in many ways but the only place where a young dramatist could make it and get his style through to a larger public at that time.
It was for this kind of a reason that generations of painters were prepared to starve romantically in the garrets of Paris.
It takes a city to support style and craft but it takes a very great city indeed to impose that kind of style on the rest of the world.
And from the Hollywood movies to Pop Art to custom car painting, to the design of surfboards and so on—Los Angeles has done just that."
Above: Elements from the Limited Edition Gloss Canvas Giclee (w/ Archival Pigment Ink)
Various references in the art:
Brigitte Bardot and her iconic look in Godard’s Le Mepris mashed up with Tom Baker’s Doctor Who
The (kitty) king of the deejays—The Real Don Steele of KHJ 93 fam w/ Felix the Cat tee holding a copy of the Cruisin’ 66 LP
Groovy 66 bracelet, handbags, croc platform boots and an original grey wrap dress design by Cristobal himself
The iconic KHJ 93 sign populated by Archie comics stand-ins for Humble Harve (Reggie), Don Steele (Jughead), Robert W. Morgan (Archie himself) plus Veronica as Tina Delgado (who is alive) and Betty as 60’s beach movie icon—Mary Hughes
The infamous Kardashian Balenciaga tape dress—cutting room floor version on Joey the Mouse
Cher in her striped 60’s pants holding her greatest hits LP + Snoopy, Bat-Girl-Kitty + Red Hot Riding Hood
John Lennon hybrid from The Beatles cartoon and the Yellow Submarine movie plus Kitty-ish McCartney blocking Grateful Dead poster
Bob’s Big Boy-style takeout bag, Coke signage, ICEE bear, IN-N-OUT drive-thru adjacent to Hollywood sign + McD’s fries
Rolling Stones, American Peace Sign and Batman Pins / Patches from 60’s / 70’s comic ads ◙▒◙ ♫♩♬
Tom Baker era-Tardis (Tuxedo Sam-themed) with Balenciaga x Doctor Who scarf
Brad Pitt-Kitty from Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (+Cinerama)
Hollywood’s Magic Castle, Beverly Hills signage (Balenciaga-style), the Bat-Signal + 60’s Batman tv / movie logo
The PINK PANTHER as a top-hatted Time Lord
Above: 60’s Blake Edwards style-Film Title (un-moving) Sequence. ヽ(>∀<☆)ノ
The Mixed-Media Original (acrylic on canvas) of ONE UPON A TIME IN KITTYWOOD will be released over the next few months. Please contact us for more information.
Heidi Hepburn visits Balenciaga's Boutique on Rodeo Drive? In our imaginations—YES! ( ͡♥ 3 ͡♥)
Miss Feline Fine will return in…HELLO DALLAS, I DREAM OF KITTY