Alvin Aw Jia Wei

Alvin's body of work examines the cultural and emotional significance of kitsch objects within the socio-economic context of Singapore in the early 2000s.

Commonly dismissed as tasteless, inauthentic or low-value, kitsch—particularly in the form of mass-produced and bootleg consumer goods—has played a meaningful role in shaping everyday experiences among working- and middle-class communities. Drawing on personal memory and visual analysis, this study explores how such “cheap” designs, including off-brand toys and imitation merchandise commonly found in local night markets, functioned as accessible alternatives to unaffordable branded goods.

Despite their perceived lack of aesthetic or material value, these objects served as vessels of emotional attachment, nostalgia and familial care. Acts of gifting, often constrained by economic limitation, imbued these items with symbolic value, transforming them into markers of love, effort and social connection. This research argues that kitsch operates as a form of cultural language, reflecting broader tensions between aspiration, class identity and authenticity within a rapidly globalising Singapore.

By reframing kitsch through the lens of design and artistic practice, this dissertation challenges dominant definitions of 'good design' based on originality and prestige. Instead, it positions kitsch as a legitimate and valuable form of material culture—one that preserves memory, mediates identity and documents the authenticity of everyday life. Ultimately, this study highlights the capacity of overlooked and stigmatised objects to embody shared histories and emotional depth, offering an alternative framework for understanding value in design.

Books

• Keiichi Tanaami by Rizzoli

• Keiichi Tanaami: Adventures in Memory

• Grafis Nusantarea Vol 4- Koleksi Pop & Trendi

• Kitsch: The World of Bad Taste by Gillo Dorfles Takashi

• Takashi Murakami: The Octopus Eats Its Own Leg

• Design as Art by Bruno Munari

• Never Fake it : Ever-dying and yet-unborn

• The Battle Cats 900

• Give Me! Tomotaka

  Media and film

• The Politics of Bootlegs and Fake Goods in Southeast Asia

• The Tatami Galaxy by Masaaki Yuasa (2010)

• Night is Short, Walk on Girl by Masaaki Yuasa and Tomihiko Morimi

• Mononoke the Movie: Phantom in the Rain

• Mononoke the Movie: Chapter II- The Ashes of Rage

• Summer Wars by Mamoru Hosoda