Artists Using Doll Likenesses without Crediting [Mijn Schatje discussion]

Ah, okay. xD But the last thing I'll say here about potentially making my own art as that it wouldn't be so much for spite as it'd be for my love of dolls AND making money.

Good points there, Gus.

 

From LUTS - report




Dear BJD lovers


Thank you for your attention on this case.

Until now, we have contacted some of galleries and Mijn Schatje.
Unfortunately, we could not receive any reply yet from galleries.
Also we could not find some of galleries of the list (from the first posting of this thread), we asked help about it to a customer yesterday.

Mijn Schatje contacted us first. She inquired about using our website address (http://luts.co.kr) as a caption of one of her work - she attached a picture of her work, not all of them - and there was no apology on the email. I felt she is avoiding to make mention of specific information of her work and our photos...

Also she exactly expressed she 'featured a portrait of one of your dolls'. - It seems that she didn't think we are already reported on a lot of her works. She is aware that she featured our doll photo but only one of our doll, only one portrait first time.

We rejected her suggestion and asked her to stop selling and exhibiting the work.

She sent us reply soon.
This time she apologized for it and explained (or excused? It is quite subjective word. ) her outlook on her works. Overall email of both was gentle, but this time email was quite long.

Last time we only received a notify - She used one of our portrait to make one of the picture- and request- can I use your website link on my myspace? in formal sentence- only.
This time, we received quite long story from her about her works.
She did not ask permission directly. She just wrote us she would like to find a way we (LUTS and her) collaborate together and introduce more people BJD area. Well, the sentences would be read quite different meaning depending on viewpoint of reader.

Once again, we are going to deny her suggestion and ask proper action again.
We hope we do not need to take further action.

She told it was mistake from unwiseness of her young period (4~5 yrs ago), but we think there was enormous time to fix it until now.
Also we do not agree that was correct way to introuduce BJD and our lovely boys and girls - ...Yes, I should be objective but I really do love my company dolls. Some of them were named by me, I definately think they are also my creations. -. I think most of BJD company managers would feel as same as I.

It is hard to reveal all detail of this progress. However, we would like to let you know what is going on. You deserve it. Also we seek your generous understanding that we can not tell you more.

Oh.. Also I could recoginze there is a little movement to start 'venture' - I could not read whole thread though.. - .
In my personal viewpoint - not as a manager of a company -, it could be brilliant idea usually... but not on this case. ^^;

Even though it is 'legal', there is something more than law always, isn't there? Please remember this thread and BJD owners are much angry with her attitude rather than legal condition. I think revenge calls next revenge... It is not right to hurt someone's mind in same way even though someone hurted your mind... we are not in Babylonia, right?

Anyway, we would like to deal with this case with her and other galleries directly with your attention.

We appreciate your cooperation and understanding. If we get any change, we will notify it.

I wonder this matter is big issue in other country and language BJD community. If it is so, would someone can move my message to your local community, please? I would like to tell people situation is being settled down by ourselves directly and we appreciate your attention... ...Maybe I should have studied other languages more. haha. ^^;

Thank you for your cheering. Have a nice day!



Yours,


Dianne Song
English website manager of LUTS

 

Ravendolls: I am genuinely curious which part of her work you are talking about? Do you mean composition? ideas? colours? subject? When you say it takes talent - can you specify parts of her work you mean? Which part of what she has done, do you think, takes talent?

 

Luts - I Love You!!!!

 

Ah Luts you are my hero! Thanks, Dianne!

And I just want to add, thank you so much for keeping us updated like this. It means a lot to have a company that cares this much about it's customers, and I really mean that. So again, thanks for keeping us involved, and good luck with this.

 

Composition, colors, just all of it together, the gestalt. But I don't see why my take on it is so interesting... ask the galleries she was selling her works in why. They, I'm sure are much more qualified to tell you. I just wonder if Peter Max and Terry Gilliam were castigated for adding neon colors to Victorian clip art. The world is so much smaller now, isn't it?

Raven

 

Thank you so much for keeping us in the loop of what is happening on your end of things. I think I speak for everyone here in saying that we admire and appreciate the lengths you are going to to stop this from happening.

And I just want to say now, I love Luts

 

Yay Luts, fantastic! That's totally what I was hoping to hear!

 

So glad for this update from Luts! Thanks for being so resolute!

 

I guess I am curious about your take because you (unlike the galleries) are aware of the process she has used and the examples shown of how much of her work is based directly from other artists (Audrey Kawasaki) and other people's photos.

The galleries may have had a different take on her work if they had been aware of all of this. Being successful or praised by others is not a sign of talent necessarily.

You are making a point here to defend her talent, so I just wanted to see what you think that was exactly.

 

Well I could be way off, too. I'm just going by my own opinion, by what I've seen only in these here pages. I found some of her work very appealing, but as I did say, I'm no expert in this type of art.

Now the GALLERIES *should* have noticed. That is their business and their raison d'etre. I don't know whether it's a laughing matter or a tragedy that she wasn't caught early on in regards to lifting other *graphic* artists' works. That is the worst of the worst, I agree!
I can excuse the galleries for not knowing about the doll pictures though. I live with an art-world enthusiast, who early on made me appreciate just how inferior my chosen mode of expression is considered. :-s So yeah. Dolls are for little girls, ne?

But now they are big business and are making news in the art world, so it would seem, for better or worse! I think it's all quite marvelous on that level.

Now the way may be considered adequately paved for dolls to take their rightful place as real art? I sure hope so. Maybe it's only a matter of having to start somewhere.

Raven

 

I think I'll be buying a Luts doll next, based on Dianne's words. Leeke, on the other hand... probably not. That little heart Mijn put next to their name bugs the crap out of me.

Ravendolls, funny you should mention Peter Max, as Mijn's work seems derivative of his, as well. But being inspired by another's work is a lot different from stealing it outright. It has yet to be determined whether Mijn has talent-- technical skill at a graphics program does not equate to that in my mind. Some technicians are great artists, but one does not necessitate the other. Mijn may have wonderful talent as a collage artist, a great eye for color, etc., but I reserve judgment on any of that, given that she has so clearly stolen the focus of her pieces from others. Maybe she has done the same with the other elements-- at this point, the burden of proof regarding her talent rests on her.

in contrast, a large number of artists on this site have demonstrated their talent-- they show creativity combined with technical skill, plus an ethical underpinning.

 

I do not see the point. The whole idea seems clearly a nyah nyah to her anyway, and even if the results look nice, reputations are not built up overnight. Seems like it will be a huge waste of effort and make BJD collectors look pretty childish instead of solving anything. The compensation if any would not really be worth the same thing as Mijn Schatje admitting and compensating them herself.

Obviously there may be a market for pretty looking art, but it's quite silly to assume that the market applies to art churned out in some kind of revenge.
One might as well do something else with the photos if money is all that is wanted.


Actually I do agree that she has talent(in colouring at least) and her work is generally aesthetically pleasing to some extent, just that she's got no sense of ethics. I don't think it's fair to say she has no talent just because she has no originality. I mean, to make a certain level of artwork there's got to be something.

 

Do any of you guys know the company that is using Mijn's stuff on clothing.
I just thought you guys would like to know that one of the previous artists that were in a collaberation with them was, Junko Mizuno.
Just a little interesting tid-bit.

 

Why? Sorry, I have no idea who that is xD.

And yeah, I'm glad that most of my dolls are Luts, and I'm going to make a point to buy my next Luts doll directly from them. As for Leeke, I will not be buying from them directly or in GOs again, now that I've heard of the Milch thing. It's a huge turn off.

Good work there, Ginarolo, as well.

 

Another female artist, who does "pop art" (just using it as a term) she rakes in just as much or even more money than Mijn. Like I said just an interesting tid-bit that Mijn wasn't the only artist that they've contracted with a collaboration. And when Junko was contacted was once she because popular world wide more, instead of an a more underground thing.

 

Ah I see, thanks. I googled her, her stuff is really cool. And at least she's honest and a real artist!

 

This hits the nail right on the head in my opinion!.......

I had the honour of been taught by Irish artist Simon Coleman in Drogheda. Simon is now deceassed.
We were never allowed to trace anything....real art is not traced...real art is what you see in front of you or is in your 'visual mind' your 'minds eye' and you draw/paint it. He would set a glass milkbottle down in front of you and say "draw that".....I achieved 99 marks out of 100 in my exams learning this way......
Call me 'old school' too, if you like......

If Mijn had purchased her own dolls, photographed them, drawn them...she would not be in all this froth and bother......

And three cheers for LUTS.....

xen

 

I have to chime in with the rest and thank Luts for their actions, I love you guys ^_^. I know it would be a lot easier to just let her keep the photos and "promote" your dolls. This is great and makes me feel a lot better as someone aspiring to have thier own doll company in the future. Just one company really taking a stand helps enforce how big of an issue this is and that it is not okay. This is a great relief after Leeke.