Toys and comics represent one of the strongest links with our childhood.
The writer of this article, for example, still keeps many of those toys – the ones I was and am most fond of – that have resisted the inexorable passing of time and still buys many comics.
The couple of artists (husband and wife) Peter Chan and Taylor Lee are the protagonists of the exhibition “Toy Show” in Hong Kong, at the gallery Over the Influence, which tells precisely this intrinsic and very close relationship that binds memories, toys and comics of our childhood.
Taylor Lee is a Los Angeles-based ceramist who creates enameled sculptures depicting mostly abstract female figures, but has recently diverted her attention to characters that are part of Japanese pop iconography such as the mecha Gundam, the most famous kaiju of all Godzilla and the iconic protagonist of the 1966 TV series of the same name, Ultraman.
For this latest exhibition, which opened its doors a few days ago and will remain open until March 12, Lee experimented with a new glazing technique called Raku, which involves removing ceramic sculptures from the kiln while they are still glowing and wrapping them with a flammable material such as newspaper sheets. Once placed in contact the two objects catch fire and the process produces an incredible range of colors and textures.
Her husband Peter, on the other hand, has created for the occasion a series of paintings that explore nostalgia for childhood but also addressed with a touch of irony, skillfully mixing everyday events with images of toys and comics.
The works of the two artists dialogue in a very fluid way in an exhibition that revolves around the childlike fantasy linked to the most iconic characters of our childhood.
The “Toy Show” exhibition at the Over the Influence gallery in Hong Kong will be open to the public through March 12.
