From the Island of Misfit Toys @ Ben Maltz Gallery

The Island of Misfit Toys at the Ben Maltz Gallery on the campus of Otis College of Art and Design offers several distinct  artistic explorations in the world of toys.  Elizabeth Berdann (blu) has several large installations on display including Perfect Children,  a set of gorgeous custom toys (Groob, Calli, Trexi and more) each bearing a beautifully painted face and hand-flocking over their bodies.  Her Townspeople frozen in terror at the approach of a family of angry abominable snowmen is a tremendous installation complete with panicked townspeople and ravenous snowbeasts.   

Turning towards childhoold toys,  Walter Martin and Paloma Munoz turn the world of safe and tranquil snow globes upside down with their sobering and distrubing custom snow globes.   Speaking of childhood toys, Jonathan Callan presents Empires, a massive collection of childhood toys augmented (infested?) with white and black plastics.  Following on the theme of reinterpreting childhood toys, Kelly Heaton presents two exhibits featuring disembodied and reconfigured Tickle Me Elmos.  Finally, Dan Goodsell offers a window into his imaginary world across multiple media: custom toys, original paintings, and painted luggage.

Next up… mature toys.  Jeroen de Vries offers up several amazing RC lowrider cars complete with working hydraulics capable of some amazing stunts.  Last but not least, Nathan Cabrera offers up two breathtaking life-sized Star-Wars inspired remix sculptures.  The first fuses Little Red Riding Hood and Imperial Stormtroopers to great effect for Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf.  The second sculpture completed this year, The Cost of Fun is Going Up, ponders the potential effects of the rising prices of petrochemicals and their use in toy plastics.  And to think collectors just presume that rising toy prices are tied to greed of producers 😉

Curated by Meg Linton, From the Island of Misfit Toys runs through April 15th, 2006.   




Kelly Heaton




 




 




 





 




 




Deborah Brown




 





 




 




Walter Martin and Paloma Munoz




 





 




 




 




 


 




 




 




 




 





Jeroen de Vries




 




 




 





 




 




 




 





Elizabeth Berdann (blu)




 




 




 





 




 




 




 





 




 




 




 





 




 




 




 





 




 




 




 





 




 




 




 





Jonathan Callan – Empires




 




 




 





 




 




 




 





 




 




 




 





 




 




 




 





 




 




 




Dan Goodsell – Objects from the Imaginary World





 




 




 




 





 




 




 




 





 




 




 




 





 




 




 




 





 




 




 




 





Nathan Cabrera – The Cost of Fun is Going Up




 




 




 





Who’s Afraid of the Big, Bad Wolf




 




 




 





 




 




 




 





 




 




 




 


2 Replies to “From the Island of Misfit Toys @ Ben Maltz Gallery”

  1. Cool to see all this work on one page!
    if you’d like you can check out my website with lots of pics and video clips of my rides in action.
    Thanx.
    J.

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