Last week-end one of my nieces turned 20! Her sisters were in charge of the background music and, as K-pop enthusiasts, turned to their favourite kind of music :) At the request of the birthday child, they played mostly girls bands – among them, Catallena by Orange Caramel (a song from 2014!). The picture of charming mermaids gasping for air in cellophane-wrapped styrofoam trays struck me, and so the next day I set out to draw my own :) Also, perfect timing for Mermay 😀️
(I did a light pencil sketch first and erased it with a kneaded eraser after completing the line-art)
Apparently, the Korean network KBS banned this clip for showing humans posing as food, which they deemed degrading!
As for me, I saw it as a satire of consumerism, drawing attention to the fact that these sanitised, convenience “products” have, in fact, been living beings worthy of more respect on our part… The song’s lyrics do not exactly sound like a social or environmental commentary 😁️, but I do think some images towards the end of the video hint in that direction, with our fashionable mermaids shedding an elegant tear while a majestic fish is roaming the ocean’s depths in the background… or am I over-interpreting here? 😅️
In my version I have added my own satirical touch with a “sustainable fishing” label on the package – or how we manage to clear our conscience and keep consuming 😌️
Anyway – this was more or less a first contact with the K-pop scene for me, and though I don’t think I can fall in love with the music, I felt very much inspired by the energy, the outfits, the colours, the excentricity, the fun! Makes me want to lean more into my superficial side, at least from time to time 😊️