so here we have, on exhibit A:

Mr. DOB�the copyrighted, animated character in this 1995 painting by Takashi Murakami titled And then and then and then and then and then �has features that appear mouse-like to Westerners but were inspired by a cartoon character with monkey- like qualities originating in Hong Kong. Murakami created Mr. DOB to appeal to a universal audience through a recognizable Japanese quality: kawaii, or being "cute." [mfa]

and now, exhibit B:

Preferring miniature, delicate items such as toothpicks, candies, and nails, Sze ingeniously transforms these everyday trifles into the armatures of her gravity-defying, spindly erections that zigzag their way into the heights of her spaces, slicing the air simultaneously while countering the horizontal thrust of their abutting floor assemblages. Through these playful tableaux of bric-a-brac, Sze addresses weighty issues such as architecture and meaning, commodities and waste, consumerism and identity, balance and perception, expansion and chaos. When first viewing Near Site from afar, one expects to encounter upon closer inspection a delicate ink landscape, but what one encounters instead is a two-dimensional version of one of Sze's jerry-built spires teeming with an impossibly congested, raucous population of anonymous stick-figure inhabitants. Each is preoccupied in urban dramas, and all are unknowingly on the brink of teeter-tottering into an undifferentiated heap. Though Sze strips her vertical city of its protective walls, she does not necessarily render a judgement upon her Lilliputian citizens. What she reveals to us, however, is her keen voyeuristic gaze and eye for minute detail. Most importantly, she rewards those who inspect her work closely. [MIT list visual arts center]

finally, over here, exhibit C:

White Fujiyama Ski Gelande. In his artworks, Nara�s undertakes the interpretation of the actual social and political situation, and believes that the most important function of art is to provoke some kind of a reaction, to exert some influence or to deliver criticism on society and the social phenomena. Nara uses children and animals as subjects in his art works, expressing his envy of the wilful behaviour displayed freely by both subjects. Instead of burying emotions inside like most adults, children are able to show all their sorrow and happiness truthfully. Loneliness forms a recurrent theme in Nara�s art: the loneliness of childhood with its feelings of isolation, frustration, anger and fear. His paintings often create a world of seclusion with the character placed in an empty backdrop. Yoshimoto Nara uses art to explore urban themes in an engaging and diverse way. The architectural environment of the constantly changing and growing Japanese metropolises and in the novelties of consumer goods defines the present world for Nara and his works direct attention to the undesirable phenomena. The sculptures allow him to create his reality from his two-dimensional paintings, a dreamy and secluded place that is both sad and intriguing. [artwrite]

by next week, one of these will be mine, adorning the pristine white overhead. who will the lucky one be?