Artist Kenny Scharf

Kenny Scharf gained prominence in New York City's East Village art scene in the 1980s for his ambitious, cartoon-like installations and paintings and his frequent collaborations with his friends, artists Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Scharf's fun, colorful work is both a nod to the future and a reference to past art historical movements such as Pop and Surrealism. His multidisciplinary practice exists in the realm where pop culture meets science fiction, and his imagery celebrates everything from the Jetsons and the Flintstones to one-eyed creatures, mischievous monsters, and donuts in space. "One very important and guiding principle to my work is to reach out beyond the elitist boundaries of fine art and connect to popular culture through my art," says Scharf. "My personal ambition has always been to live the example. I believe the artist has a social responsibility to engage others in a thought process that ultimately brings the creative process into everyday life thereby enhancing the quality of our experience." Since his rise to prominence years ago at the 1985 Whitney Biennal to his recent ambitious street art survey Art In the Streets at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, Scharf continues to approach his practice Bearbrick (rendered Be@rbrick) is a collectible toy designed and produced by the Japanese company MediCom Toy Incorporated. The name is derived from the fact that the figure is a cartoon-style representation of a bear and that it is a variation of MediCom's Kubrick design. The at sign in the place of the letter a is a visual device that is a part of the Bearbrick brand, and as such, a trademark of MediCom Toy. The first figure was released 27 May 2001 as a free gift to visitors of the World Character Convention 12 in Tokyo. Since then Bearbricks have been released in several different sizes using a variety of materials, including wood, felt, and glow-in-the-dark plastic. The standard size is seven centimeters high, and these figures are referred to as 100% Bearbricks. Other Bearbricks are named for their size relative to the standard: 50% are four centimeters high, 70% are five centimeters high, 400% are 28 centimeters high, and 1000% are 70 centimeters high. A 200% size chogokin Bearbrick has also been produced standing 14 centimeters tall. A 150% size "Bearbrick Light" has also been produced in 2012, standing 10.5 centimeters tall with a key chain on its head. Medicom Toy is a Japanese brand specializing in the creation of collection toys and figurines since 1996. It has been founded by Tatsuhiko Akashi. It all started with the Kubrick, a so -called standard figurine at the Lego and Playmobil border, a figurine made up of 9 blocks (in Japanese 九 (Kyū) means 9). This new format quickly was very successful and the kubricks will quickly take many licenses from Star Wars to the Planet of the Apes. In parallel Medicom Toy Produced toys of collecting art, sold in limited quantities and very quickly develops many ranges with the RAH (Real Action Heroes), the Mafex (Magical Action Figures Ex), the VCD (Vinyl Collectible Dolls) or even UDF (Ultra Detail Figure). But the planetary success will come with the Be@rbrick, an adaptation of the kubrick in a small bear version with a small plump belly. These figurines in the form of printed bear with different drawings and patterns will make the success of Medicom Toy putting the BE@RBRICK At the Pantheon of designer toy. Many artists and Brands have collaborated on this line of products, in particular Nike, Keith Haring or Kaws, but we also find characters from Movie theater from universes such