The musical genius Pharrell is a man of many talents, and has taken his knack for find cool collectibles to the Art world. Pharrell will be a guest curator alongside names like KAWS, Takashi Murakami and Misaki Kawai for the “This Is Not a Toy” exhibition to be featured front and center at Canada’s Design Museum in Toronto. Below is a picture of the exhibit that will be running from February 7th to May 18th.
Read the full Press Release of what will be found on display, below:
This Is Not A Toy transforms DX’s Exhibition Hall into a candy-coloured space evoking genuine happiness through exuberant, imaginative works. Visitors absorb a multi-faceted sensory experience, as they are immersed in a vibrant world filled with music, video, and vinyl via iPad Air, iPad mini with Retina display and iMac. Listen to in-depth interviews with artists such as KAWS, Huck Gee and Frank Kozik, see stop-motion videos created by fans of Kidrobot figures, and get an exclusive look at how vinyl toys are made and customized. The showstopper, The Simple Things, is a striking sculpture created by a trio of trailblazing creatives: Williams, Murakami and Jacob Arabo, a.k.a. “Jacob the Jeweler”. The fiberglass, metal and steel head features a wide grin that reveals blinged-out ordinary objects, including a Pepsi can, a cupcake, and a Heinz ketchup bottle. First unveiled during Art Basel in 2009, The Simple Things has been exhibited at London’s Tate Museum, Paris’ Chateau de Versailles, Qatar’s Museum of Islamic Art, and now, Toronto’s Design Exchange.
Among the full spectrum of paintings and sculptures on view are: FriendsWithYou’s animated short film Cloudy and custom Rainbow Vortex; Misaki Kawai’s tactile, comb-able animal-shaped fur paintings; and prized items from Williams’ personal art collection, including Milo on Rocking Horse by Japanese fashion label A Bathing Ape; Be@rbrick representations of his Grammy-winning partners Daft Punk; and commissioned KAWS paintings that poke at pop culture, aptly named KAWSBOB 3 and KURFS (CROWD). Toronto’s art and design shop, Magic Pony, presents Pon Pon Pony Jam, featuring multifarious characters in their envisioned natural environment from international artists Devilrobots (JP), James Jarvis (UK), Junko Mizuno (JP), Michael Lau (HK), Nathan Jurevicius (AUS) and Pete Fowler (UK). This diverse group of creators is recognized as discernible pioneers within the designer toy field, communicating their visual philosophies through the unconventional medium of the art toy. Other contributing artists include Veteran neo-pop artist, Yoshitomo Nara, Huck Gee, Coarse, Frank Kozik, and Bill McMullen.
