Toy Art Gallery will be hosting Akriv’s very own solo show, ‘The Aftermath — A Journey to Wonderland’. This will be his second exhibit with TAG, with the last being at their old location. This show will feature a number of new paintings, prints, t-shirts, custom shoes, and the debut of the lifesize Libertine fiberglass figure. The opening reception will take place on Saturday, August 4th from 7-10PM, where Arkiv will also be in attendance.
Toy Art Gallery
7571 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90046
“Wounderland is an ecosystem formed in the disastrous aftermath of a world that had suffered for far too long from global warming. Here, a new animal kingdom was born, in which new DNA configurations appear, creating wild new breeds that were previously unimaginable. The mass disaster that took place for only seventeen seconds happened with such force that it completely scorched the earth. Darkness enveloped the earth, and for a while, it is as if every being in it was soundly asleep. No light could be found here, and only the single moon was keeping it illuminated.
All flora and fauna have transformed and morphed to adapt to this new environment. Plants and vegetation are now creatures with flesh and blood, with a skeletal anatomy, hairy surfaces, and throbbing pulses. Sharks fly across the air and take their prey both in land and in the depths of the sea. In this new natural habitat, the lion’s seat as the king of the wilderness has been replaced by various new species of birds, who now outnumber the category of any other living being. Plants and animals live together side by side in a mutual symbiosis. Mammals, birds, insects, fish, amphibians – they crossbreed in a large scale, creating unexpected new life forms as an effect.
“Wounderland” is a world presented by Arkiv Vilmansa, where the boundaries between the real and the imaginary break down. Through the works in his exhibitions he invites us to explore this world, beginning from his first solo show in Jakarta, Indonesia entitled “Reachable Distance”. In that exhibition, we were already able to observe his experimentations with whimsical, cartoon-like figures, inviting us to further imagine the kind of world they inhabit with their bright colours and bold lines. “The Aftermath” is a continuation of this exploration, showing even more confidence and gusto. Where previously solid colours dominate his palette, in this current collection darker tones become the background against which each of the characters are set. These nocturnal shades represent the bleakness of “Wounderland” in the aftermath of a great disaster, yet the striking colours of the figures no doubt display an unrelentless sense of optimism. All of these, no doubt, create an even richer visual experience.
Another significant exploration that are visible in the works in this exhibition is the move towards colour
gradients. With each tonal shift still in the same hue, it is as if Vilmansa wishes to examine and dig deeper
into the emotional, personal complexities that they may represent. We should not be surprised if the play with gradients will soon become Vilmansa’s main artistic distinction. In fact, why should we, for these gradients illustrate the entwinement between the real and the imaginary in the habitat we now know as “Wounderland”, in a way that may not be achieved otherwise.”
