As previously mentioned Michael Lau has created the Artoy Basel exhibition for Tencent QQ’s QTX 2021 convention which concludes on Monday (5.3) in Shenzhen, China. A show within the show, Artoy Basel features a selection of the HK art toy pioneer’s work from his groundbreaking Gardner 1/6 figures to his most recent works including crossover collaborations.
The concept behind Lau’s exhibition is driven by his view of the relationship between art and toys and vice versa. Patterned after the premiere Art Basel art fair series, Artoy Basel is presented as a half scale (1 to 2) exhibition. This thought-provoking choice of scale reflects Lau’s observation that art toys are about half the size of many fine art sculptures. As shown in the photos, the toy displays are built on stylized art crate style stands at roughly half the expected height. The exhibition design encourages the audience to crouch down to view the toys on their level rather than the other way around.
As part of the collaboration with QQ, Michael Lau released the Salvator Michael QQ vinyl art toy at the show. An edition of only 99, the figure has sold out.
[Photos: QTX]
