Care Bears exhibition brings color and cheer to Boyle Heights

Under the shadow of the 6th Street Bridge, a splash of color radiates from the inside of Corey Helford Gallery. 

“Care Bears Forever” — a group art exhibition featuring the original works of more than 75 contemporary artists —  brings the iconic characters to the industrial, western side of Boyle Heights to showcase the cultural and visual impact the characters have made on the contemporary art world.

The exhibit includes paintings, installations, clothing and more.

Los Angeles-based painter Luke Chueh, who has worked with Corey Helford Gallery for over a decade, is exhibiting a piece of art in the show. 

The 51-year-old, who is known for painting anthropomorphized bears, grew up with the cuddly characters. Creating for this show, he said, didn’t feel like a drastic step away from his own style of work.  

“When I saw the works come in, and when I saw the show put together, I was blown away,” Chueh said. 

The artist’s contribution to the show, “Taste the Rainbow,” combines his familiar blank-faced bear with Cheer Bear, a pink character with a rainbow on its stomach. With “Taste the Rainbow,” Chueh uses the Care Bears as a “pick-me-up,” showcasing his staple bear character lifting Cheer Bear up to face level and forcibly squeezing the energy beam of cheer that shoots from its stomach onto his white bear. It’s cute and cynical.

“It’s always kinda fun when you see something that is created to reflect nothing but positivity and optimism, and have it skewed just a little bit to reflect a certain aspect of the world that we do live in, where that kind of positivity would be manipulated for self-serving purposes,” Chueh said. 

The colorful characters were designed in 1981 when illustrator Elena Kucharik was using them for greeting cards. Each had their own distinctive emotion, color, and attitude. Soon after, an animated TV series, countless toy iterations and video games gave rise to a decades-long craze.

The roster of bear characters has grown to several dozen and boasts Build-A-Bear and Sanrio collaborations. Cheer Bear, Grumpy Bear, and Good Luck Bear are part of the Care Bear family. The characters have even made an appearance in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

On a recent visit, a pair of friends admired a rainbow-beaded chandelier that nearly touched the floor. They took photos under the hanging display surrounded by Care Bears-themed custom wallpaper. The friends said they grew up with the Care Bears and enjoyed the different interpretations of the characters that shaped their childhoods.

 “…it’s just all very beautiful,” one said.

Angelenos young and old can appreciate the colorful mishmash of styles, techniques, and forms on display at the gallery, even if they aren’t familiar with the multi-colored bears. 

“Seeing the original Care Bear artwork really took the show to the next level for me,” Chueh said. “All my colleagues contributed some really fun and amazing works.”

“Care Bears Forever” is viewable until March 31 at Corey Helford Gallery, 571 S Anderson St.