When seeing someone cry, most people feel concerned and sad. However, seeing the art toy Crybaby, which takes the form of an adorable crying girl, can make you smile. The exhibition "Everybody/Cries/Sometimes" by Nisa "Molly" Srikumdee, draws large crowds even on weekdays due to Crybaby's popularity. It has international fans from many countries including China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore. Despite speaking different languages, international and local viewers enjoy taking photos with Crybaby in its various designs.
The artist explained that her second solo exhibition "Everybody/Cries/Sometimes" differs from her debut "Cry Me A River" as the first exhibition focused on herself while the second one includes everyone. Nisa emphasises that she wants everyone to see crying as an emotion, similar to any other, and that everyone cries.
Nisa revealed that she became interested in the concept of tears when she was young because her parents would tell her to stop crying.
"I wondered why my parents told me not to cry, especially in public. I questioned why society views crying as a symbol of weakness. I created Crybaby because I am also trapped in this stigma that society dictates. I believe that if people are not honest with themselves, their pains will never heal," the artist said.
"I want to change people's attitudes towards crying, so I created Crybaby to express emotions in an adorable way. When I cannot hold back my tears, I hope people will adore me, so I can feel that they allow me to cry and stay beside me," she added.
The Broken One.
"Everybody/Cries/Sometimes" is divided into two zones. With free admission, the first zone on the 2nd floor of River City Bangkok, displays paintings and sculptures in Crybaby's signature style. Located on the 1st floor, The Insomniac showcases a huge stuffed Crybaby doll. To enter the Insomniac Zone, a ticket costing 450 baht must be purchased and it comes with a "no sleep" set -- consisting of a Crybaby brooch and a pyjama suit for wearing in the zone.
"Each artwork in the exhibition represents a reason that makes people cry. The Insomniac was inspired by people who have insomnia. During the daytime, people with insomnia pretend to be strong, but at night, they spend time rethinking everything back and forth. The white stuffed Crybaby doll in the Insomniac Zone is massive in size with huge tears rolling down its face. This Crybaby doll is huggable and lies down on a soft bed. Spending time in this area may help visitors to get through their tough days smoothly," said Nisa.
The Broken One is a huge brown Crybaby with its body parts separated. Viewers will see Crybaby's head, arms, body and legs scattered in different places. Nisa explained that The Broken One was inspired by the lowest point of sadness, resembling a heart that is broken into pieces.
The Good One is a bronze sculpture and painting of a smoking Crybaby.
"I intended to depict the story of a person who is judged by her appearance. This Crybaby is smoking, but nobody knows her background and people should not judge her solely based on this behaviour."
The Good One.
The Angry collection consists of three sculptures -- The Angry Brown, The Angry Blond and The Angry Bunny.
"The Angry collection has a tagline that says, 'I'm not angry. I'm in pain'. This collection represents people who feel sad, but do not know how to express their emotions, so they channel their anger to cover their grief."
Before becoming a toy designer and artist, Nisa used to work as a designer for weddings, parties and other celebratory events. However, in 2016, after the death of King Bhumibol and the cancellation or postponement of all celebrations, Nisa had to put her career on hold for months. She then decided to spend her time moulding polymer clay. After two months, she eventually got a prototype of Crybaby, a cute girl crying in a standing pose.
"I did not sketch Crybaby beforehand. When I was a university student, I used to draw Rabbit Cry on bad days, but I did not feel like moulding Rabbit Cry at that moment," Nisa said.
"I just let my hands guide me to rediscover my passion for art which I had lost due to being busy. The hairstyle of the Crybaby prototype was inspired by the ears of my golden retriever. After creating the Crybaby prototype, I posted a photo of it on my Instagram and a Chinese woman sent me a message asking me if Crybaby was available for purchase."
The artist hesitated to turn the Crybaby prototype into an art toy because it was not her initial intention. However, after talking to her mother who encouraged her not to worry and to go for it, she decided to colour the Crybaby prototype and posted its photo on Instagram. The Chinese woman who liked her work shared the photo on social media in China, causing Crybaby to go viral.
The Angry collection.
"I was thrilled because I did not expect that kind of attention. I decided to fly to China to attend an art toy event and I was stunned by the enormity of it. People queued up to purchase art toy products days before the event even started," Nisa said.
After Crybaby went viral in China, Pop Mart, the collectable art toy brand that has over 350 retail stores in 23 countries, was interested in Crybaby and signed a contract with Nisa to sell Crybaby in their stores.
"Pop Mart is a professional company. Working with a large toy brand like Pop Mart helps me grow. The brand's compensation and promotion are excellent. Since it has worldwide stores, it helps Crybaby reach other parts of the world. Pop Mart has some suggestions to help sell the products. Crybaby's first collection of pop art was created in earth-tone colours. I was advised that if I used brighter colours, the products would catch the eyes of customers when toys are on the shelves," Nisa said.
For her first exhibition, Nisa allowed the audience to share their crying experiences in writing. She was impressed with the feedback from the audience.
"One of the male visitors wrote that his mother suffered from depression and when he saw his mother at Crybaby's exhibition, he understood her more than before. I think that Crybaby is like a smile after crying, as if a weight has been lifted, knowing that there is a person who understands and is similar to the viewer," she said.
When Nisa was asked to give advice to aspiring toy artists, she advised that they should find a unique character.
"Now, the world is connected, so people can see designs created by international artists. As a result, there is a lot of competition. Aspiring artists must strive to create a character that stands out from the rest. This can help characters gain visibility. If artists put in the effort to develop outstanding characters, they will be discovered in this interconnected world," concluded Nisa.
'Everybody/Cries/Sometimes' by Nisa 'Molly' Srikumdee.
"Everybody/Cries/Sometimes" runs at River City Bangkok until Sept 30. Admission is free at the exhibition, but tickets to the Insomniac Zone cost 450 baht which includes a set of enamel pins and a pyjama suit. To purchase tickets, visit bitly.ws/KfNV.