Dystopian Art by Yanobe Kenji: Mickey the Knight

Mr. Broke Hoedown sent me this Pink Tentacle post:

Mickey the Knight, a sculptural work by visionary neo-pop artist Yanobe Kenji, is a mouse-eared, gas-masked, fully-armored warrior who looks like a mutant samurai member of the Mickey Mouse Club.

According to Yanobe’s notes, which were on display along with Mickey the Knight at a recent Yokosuka Museum of Art exhibit, he was invited to submit a Disney-themed piece for Disneyland’s giant 50th anniversary celebration held in 2005. Known for work that explores issues like how to survive and have fun in post-apocalyptic settings, Yanobe drew inspiration from the legendary Mickey Mouse Gas Mask, an intriguing historical artifact whose background story reflects some of the themes found in Yanobe’s work.

Not surprisingly, Disney chose not to display this work after all.

The same Pink Tentacle post includes a color photo of the Mickey Mouse gas mask previously mentioned here. It’s even creepier in color.