Photo By Gail
I saw a ton of fantastic art toys at Five Points Festival, but this Yellow Winged Shark figure by Todd Rogers of Junk Fed toys spoke to me in a way maybe only one or two other toys did. So, I had to give him a stand-alone Shark Attack post, because come on: this toy is just insane!
Continue reading Shark Attack Winged Creature
Photos By Gail
Nick Cave is an American artist, educator, and messenger working between the visual and performing arts through a wide range of mediums including sculpture, installation, and performance. Cave is well known for his Soundsuits, sculptural forms based on the scale of his body, initially created in direct response to the LA police beating of Rodney King in 1991. Soundsuits camouflage the body, masking and creating a second skin that conceals race, gender and class, forcing the viewer to look without judgement. They serve as a visual embodiment of social justice that represents both brutality and empowerment.
Continue reading Eye On Design: Soundsuit #2 China Plate By Nick Cave
Five Points Festival Poster with artwork by Creon (@chknhead)
Holy Collectible Designer Toys, Five Points Festival is finally back after a two year, pandemic-induced hiatus, and we are soooo excited for a huge comeback celebration! Woo! Sponsored by Clutter Magazine, Five Points is the premier event for finding the coolest designer art toys and other collectibles, plus action figures, comics, street art, jewelry and assorted unique ephemera. Get your tickets now for the weekend of June 25th and 26th! Continue reading Five Points Festival Returns to Brooklyn June 25th!
Photo By Gail
In March of 2019, I attended a fun event-thing called the Barbie 60th Anniversary Pop-Up Experience, which was just insane. Imagine being wedged into a crowded labyrinth of bright lights, neon colors, and every type of Barbie-branded doll in the universe, including Gender-Nonconforming Barbie and Dad-Bod Ken. Now, add little kids with their parents, and millennial Instagram-whores, and you’re got an idea of the scenario that I consider myself lucky to have survived with my sanity intact. Still: super fun!
While I saw literally hundreds of Barbies that day, the one that I will surely never forget is this Pink Mink Stole-draped plastic goddess known as the Andy Warhol Barbie. Here’s why: this Barbie (the third such doll produced in collaboration with The Andy Warhol Foundation) is the definitive celebration of Warhol, drawing inspiration from the original Warhol Barbie portrait created by the artist in 1986. Barbie’s strapless gown features a sweetheart neckline and an overall print of the Warhol Barbie Portrait (you can see a few details of Barbie’s face on the dress if you look closely at the above photo). Beyond the fabulous Pink faux fur stole with blue lining, the doll’s accessories also include blue pumps accented with glitter inspired by Warhol’s technique of “diamond dust” crushed glass on canvas, earrings, necklace, ring and doll stand. Rad.
Sadly I could not capture details of the glittery shoes, as Andy Warhol Barbie was encased in a vitrine, to protect her from molestation. The statement to the left of Barbie’s face in the above photo reads as follows:
Andy Warhol made his mark by creating images of American icons. Barbie was added to the list when Warhol painted her in 1986. The first Barbie portrait was reportedly inspired by Warhol’s muse, Billy Boy, a jewelry designer and member of new York downtown scene in the 1980s, who owned a vast collection of Barbie dolls.
Photos By Gail
In this age of downloading all music purchases from the Internet, it’s easy to forget how much fun it can be to browse the weird, music-related shit that can be found in a good, old fashioned record store. I was wandering aimlessly in Rough Trade Records of Wiliamsburg, Brooklyn when I spotted this neato- thing that exists: a Residents Classic Eyeball Limited Edition Bobblehead! Yes, I just typed that.
The backstory, for those not in-the-know, is condensed as follows: The Residents are an American art collective best known for their avant-garde music and multimedia works. Since their first official release, Meet the Residents (1974), the group has released over sixty albums, numerous music videos and short films, three CD-ROM projects, and ten DVDs. Throughout its existence, the individual members have ostensibly attempted to operate under anonymity, preferring instead to have attention focused on their art output. In public, the group appears silent and costumed, often wearing eyeball helmets, top hats and tails — a long-lasting costume now recognized as its signature iconography. This figure, fabricated of high quality polyresin, and standing 7.5-inches tall, is available in an edition of just 1,000 hand-numbered units. You can get yours for just $26.99.
