Kawayoku, a hybrid research area, explores the intersections of cuteness culture, digital warfare and the aestheticisation of violence in an era of semiotic ambiguity and post-truth. From the fetishisation of Weapons Grade Waifus and anthropomorphic warships in games like Azur Lane to the “Israeli” Defense Forces’ TikTok strategies, the essay reveals how cuteness and entertainment serve as tools of domestication, converging state-nationalism with the impish, and the uniform with the algorithm.

Noura Tafeche is a visual artist and independent researcher with a focus on net.art and radical entertainment. Her research delves into phenomena related to online visual cultures, aestheticisation of violence on digital platforms, linguistic experimentation and visual representation of speculative imaginaries.

COLOPHON

Noura Tafeche The Kawayoku Tales: Aestheticisation of Violence in Military, Gaming, Social Media Cultures and Other Stories

PostScriptUM #51 Series edited by Janez Fakin Janša

Publisher: Aksioma – Institute for Contemporary Art, Ljubljana Represented by: Marcela Okretič

Design: Federico Antonini

Cover image: Noura Tafeche’s 2024 collage based on images from Azur Lane, licensed under CC-BY-NC-SA: Dace, illustrated by 梦咲枫; Monarch, illustrated by Liduke; Juno, illustrated by 梦咲枫; screenshot of a “fleet build” by Reddit user niteshumo57

© Aksioma | All text and image rights reserved by their respective authors Ljubljana, August 2024