“KAROUSHI” Grody Shogun and Velocitron opens this Friday!
Opening: Friday February 3th, 7-11 pm
Feb. 3rd – Feb. 24th 2012
TAG | Toy Art Gallery
7571 Melrose Ave.
Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA 90046 U.S.
Toy Art Gallery is proud to present “Karoushi”, featuring the works of Grody Shogun and Velocitron! “Karoushi” is the Japanese concept of death by overwork. Working simultaneously as brand, producer and retailer, the two masterminds of the Japanese soft vinyl producing powerhouse The Fort have banded together to unleash a gallery show of epic proportions. Multiple editions, one-offs and collaborative pieces are just the beginning of what these two have crafted for this event. Grody Shogun and Velocitron hope that attendees to the gallery show can get a taste of just what two people can accomplish when they decide that their own health, sanity and overall well-being rank far below achieving their dreams of revolutionizing the Japanese vinyl world.
Grody Shogun (Luke Rook) began in 2011 but has taken the Japanese vinyl world by storm. Built around the core philosophy that toys are meant to be enjoyed and played with, GS prides himself on creating “playable” figures that are offered at extremely reasonable price points. GS figures have a strong following both in Japan and internationally, often selling out within minutes of being offered.
Velocitron (Ricky Wilson) began producing figures in Japanese vinyl in 2008, starting with only his own designs and soon starting to produce figures from a diverse group of international artists and designers. His designs are influenced by post apocalyptic imagery, classic horror manga and heavy metal album covers.
“KAROUSHI” opens Friday, Feb. 3rd and runs through Feb. 24th. There will be an opening reception from 7-11 PM on Feb. 3rd, where Luke and Ricky will be virtually broadcasting from The Fort in Japan to paint their toys live. Join us at Toy Art Gallery’s new showroom located at 7571 Melrose Ave. Hollywood CA 90046.
WHAM BLAM BLAMO Preview now available!
We’re very excited for tomorrow night’s opening of “WHAM BLAM BLAMO”, our second show with Blamo Toys!
There are tons of amazing hand-crafted sculpture and toys that need to be seen in person, so if you’re in the area of 7571 Melrose Ave. make sure to come on by and say HI to the Blamo crew! Opening starts at 7 PM and runs til 11.
If you just can’t wait, the preview for “WHAM BLAM BLAMO” is now online. Check it out here:
WHAM BLAM BLAMO Preview
Artwork from “WHAM BLAM BLAMO” will go for sale on our website starting Saturday, Jan. 7th at 12 noon PST.
Click HERE to make a purchase!
WHAM BLAM BLAMO Sneak Peek: Panda Fuzzy Bare!
Blamo Toys’ Mikie Graham has put together a TAG-exclusive edition of the Fuzzie the Bare resin character for WHAM BLAM BLAMO, opening this Saturday! Fuzzie makes his second appearance as a wave of “Panda Bear Fuzzies. Standing at 5″ tall this green-eyed trickster is limited to 6 and will be available for sale starting January 7th only at Toy Art Gallery.
We’re Now Carrying Jewelry by Tlakuilo Kalli!
These necklaces are sculpted by Oscar Ayotzintli and handmade in gorgeous white metal.
Each comes on a chain and packaged in bags for $25. A perfect gift idea for skull lovers and toy collectors.
Huck Gee Line Tickets
Get your line ticket and save your space in line starting at 12 Noon on Thursday.
Those with tickets will get priority in order when the doors open at 7PM.
Line forms no later than 6PM.
TAG Spotlight: Alien Argus and Waotoyz!
It’s time for another Toy Art Gallery product spotlight! First up we have the newest Alien Argus edition designed by Mark Nagata and produced by Toy Art Gallery. Inspired by poisonous Amazonian tree frogs, this Argus has it all with glow in the dark Japanese soft vinyl with fluorescent red, green and yellow spray and extra black and purple detailing! Unlike his namesake, he’s safe to touch (or lick). As a special bonus, we also have two BLANK editions of Argus at a special low price. Both GLOW and RED Arguses (Argi?) are ready to be customized, or, if you prefer, left blank to enjoy the sculpt. All are available now!
The next toy we wanted to share is the funky O.G. Kaiju Waodog from Waotoyz! Designed by Swiss creator Waotoyz and produced in Japan by Lulubell Toys, this crazy canine is available in TWO TAG exclusive colorways, “Mr. Gold” and “Mr. Pink Panther”. Each features awesome soft vinyl techniques (hyper lamé and clear pink!) and truly unique sculpting and paint applications. We love this doggy here at TAG and we hope you will too. Check them out here!
We also have a very limited amount of Bellicose Bunnies from our recent Nathan Hamill signing (check out the photos on our facebook!). All are signed and sketched, so don’t snooze if you’ve had your eye on one. Grab one here!
