PAYBACK (2024)

‘PAYBACK’ by artist Brocco Blue is a work of Pop Surrealism that uses elements of bright, cute ‘Kawaii’ culture to shockingly express themes of violence and vengeance. The three figures in the frame possess cartoonish features, such as pink hair and heart-shaped eyes, yet their expressions convey pain, rage, or cynical pleasure. The scene is one of chaotic entanglement, with pink chain-like vines, broken branches, and a blood-splatter-like background blending innocence with violence. The depiction of figures holding a gun or with exposed body parts like a brain and eyeballs intensely visualizes the dark impulses and paradoxes of modern society hidden beneath a sweet facade. True to its title, ‘PAYBACK,’ the work challenges the viewer to confront the uneasy truth between external beauty and internal aggression.