Looking cute, 2024! Check out CBC Arts' shiny new logo

Every month, we feature a new take on the CBC Arts logo created by a Canadian artist. Check out our previous logos!

Happy 2024! A bright and shiny new year has begun, and over in Calgary, artist Michelle Ku is eager to start fresh. 

For the last three months, the Central Saint Martins graduate has been holed up in her studio, making an animated short for the National Film Board. "I've been in my own world," she tells CBC Arts over email. But now that the project is almost complete, Ku is looking forward to what 2024 may bring, and she's channelled some of her bright-eyed excitement into our latest logo design.

Like so much that Ku makes, her CBC Arts logo has a sweet and silly feel — embellished with twinkling stars and googly-eyed hearts and rainbows. That #kidcore vibe is a hallmark of her personal artwork, and it's a style that allows her to explore difficult subject matter. Take her ongoing series of paintings, Mind Body, for example, a project about her experience living with complex PTSD. "I like to add some cuteness and colour," says Ku. "It's a way of processing my experiences and emotions" — and as an added bonus, her fun-loving approach helps the work connect with viewers. 

Ku's upcoming animated film is an extension of her Mind Body paintings, and she told us a little more about the project when we reached out to her by email. Read on!

Name: Michelle Ku

Age: 28

Homebase: Calgary

Let's talk about your logo design. What inspired the concept? 

A chance to channel a magical energy for the new year!

What are some of your favourite subjects to draw? 

I like to draw things that I want to see exist, or that I would have wanted to see growing up. It helps me heal my inner child when I create things that my younger selves would have liked — things that would have comforted me or tickled my brain in some way. 

What's the project you're most proud of? 

Maybe the mural I did last year for the Bump Festival. That was super fun. I've always wanted to do murals, and it was my first big outdoor project. 

It was scary at first. The mural is on a very long and skinny wall, and I had to climb up a super tall ladder to paint it. It took me a while to get comfortable, but I'm proud of being able to overcome that fear.

What's new in your world? What are you working on at the moment? 

I'm taking a little break at the moment and resting for the holidays. I just finished up my first short film, which was produced as part of the National Film Board's Hothouse program. I feel really grateful that I had so much support with everything. It was done with paint on traditional animation cels, which was a new technique I was really excited to try out. After my break, I'm planning to keep animating some more.

What's your favourite place to see art? 

The graphic novel section in the bookstore; galleries; online.

Who's the last artist you discovered online? 

Tim Andraka. I like his funny animal diagrams and transformations. 

What work of art do you wish you owned? 

It'd be super cool to have a Hieronymus Bosch painting! 

Where can we see more from you? 

On Instagram (@michellekuku) and my website, michellekuku.com.

This conversation has been edited and condensed.