Japanese artist Junko Mizuno's 'gothic-cute' art on show in Cumbria

A leading Japanese artist has been teaching British students the style of Manga ahead of an exhibition of her work.

Junko Mizuno's pieces are being shown at the University of Cumbria and she will appear at the Lakes International Comic Arts Festival in Kendal.

The region has a long-standing popularity with Japanese visitors.

Ms Mizuno said she wanted to show the students "that they can stay true to themselves, everyone's different".

Third year illustration undergraduate, Noelë Krehbiel, said it was inspiring to hear from an artist who had not attended art school.

"Seeing her work and meeting her has showed me that, no matter how weird your art is, there will always be someone out there who loves it," she said.

"Her work brings together influences from both Japanese and western cultures and she thinks so far out of the box."

Ms Mizuno, who grew up in Tokyo but now lives in San Francisco, is recognised for her Manga-style, "gothic-cute" representation of women, sometimes known as Gothic ka-waii or kawaii noir.

She has also collaborated with Swedish furniture store IKEA.

Senior lecturer in visual culture Nick Dodds said her style was "truly unique".

"[She] draws from a heady and varied mix of cutesy horror, sexuality and pop ephemera, moving seamlessly between commercial illustration and fine-art practices," he said.

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The exhibition at the university's Vallum Gallery is open until 25 October and the Lakes International Comic Art Festival in Kendal runs until Sunday.