On Friday evening, Toy Art Gallery ushered in its new era with a brand-new large location right in the heart of Melrose Avenue amid the opening of Brain Evolution, featuring customs of Emilio Garcia’s Jumping Brain figure. Emilio made the trip from Spain to setup the show which included a central CMYK installation featuring oversize resin Jumping Brains. Speaking of ‘big’, Emilio also showcased two of his new large Bronze Jumping Brains created in a Spanish foundry as well as three of his new 36” Brain Pattern Qees in Fiberglass.
Turning to the artist pieces, several of the customs caught our eye including J*RYU’s amazing piece featuring a piglet/frog hybrid afloat on a lillypad (a surreal take on the Muppets’ first couple), Paul Kaiju’s inspired pull toy piece, painter Naoto Hattori’s exquisite cerebral hemisphere, Doktor A’s see-through Victorian gent and Brent Nolasco’s imaginative pair. On a slightly disappointing note, several of the listed artists were not able to deliver a piece in time for the show. That said, there’s a good variety of pieces showcasing a nice mix of talent both in terms of painting and 3D sculpting.
Tonight also marked the grand opening of TAG’s new gleaming store, which certainly did not disappoint. The new location is much larger than the previous location with a gallery section in the front 1/4 of the space with the remaining 3/4 or so offering a strong mix of western vinyl, an excellent of selection of Eastern vinyl (sofubi), toy-themed apparel, and a selection of original art towards the rear of the store. Congratulations to owner Gino Joukar and the TAG staff on the launch of an attractive, modern and inviting new destination for the die-hard collector as well as the curious dabbler. The new space should be a boon to the local LA scene as a high profile addition to what was already a strong toy shopping experience on Melrose alongside Kidrobot, Munky King and Suru.
Brain Evolution
Through October 10th
Toy Art Gallery
7571 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
