Bjork the Japanese Schoolgirl

Yosiell Lorenzo’s work fits into that saying: “never judge a book by its cover”. At first glance, his artwork is all cuteness: cupcakes, cherries and candy. But beneath the facade of frosting and the rainbow sprinkles camouflage, a sadness is stirring. Yosiell uses sweetness to reel us in. Once he has us in his saccharine net, we settle and see beyond the surface: these are cheerless creatures. They are all searching for love. The Sicklings are a troop of Yosiell’s recurring characters who are particularly mopey and needy. Rendered in sexless simplicity, the Sicklings function like anthropomorphic feelings: Frustration, loneliness, despair…Often the Sicklings wear masks. Yosiell uses masks as a device throughout his paintings and three dimensional work. The masks represent dual and hidden identities, as well as society’s attempts to label individuals who resist categorization. Yosiell has dealt with these identity issues first hand. As a gay, Puerto Rican artist, he was often told that he didn’t “look gay” or he was a “fake Rican”. Yosiell was introduced to art in his youth during a time when hip hop and graffiti defined urban culture. Growing up in Bridgeport, CT, he’d hop the train to New York and absorb it all. In Shin Tanaka and Nao Shimojo are Tokyo-based partners in life and design. Shin's paper toys are inspired by hip-hop and street culture, like an accessible update on traditional origami. To date, over 500 artists and brands have joined his paper toy project, and fans print, cut and assemble his designs. His work is included in Nike's design library, sought after by Disney and UNIQLO and has been exhibited in cities around the world. Nao produces collectible vinyl toys and lifestyle items under her brand, Dankeschoen. The popular mascots, Danke and Schoen, have been customized by world-famous artists, featured in Misukoshi Department store and appeared in Asia's largest toy shows. Together, Shin and Nao collaborate in a positive style that can be called "urban kawaii". MAQET is a small company with big ideas. We believe that everyone has a story to tell, be it through our own art or reflected in the objects we choose to collect. But these days, our stories are caught between worlds: we smile through emoticons, play sports with remote controls and read books through a screen. At MAQET, we love technology that enables creativity, but we love the sensation of holding a real object generated by that creativity even more. The feel of it. The weight of it. The interaction that comes from it. MAQET believes that there shouldn't be obstacles to making cool, unique and collectible stuff. Technology should be fun, prices affordable, time lines reasonable and the minimum order as little as one piece. Collecting is an extension of your personality, so why not put your own stamp on it? MAQETs are vibrant, full-color collectibles made with Plastin®, a porcelain-like material with a smooth, shiny finish. We bring them to life in our eco-conscious Northern California lab and ship them straight to your door. Designing globally and producing locally is part of MAQET's commitment to being a green company, and by removing the obstacles and empowering individuals, MAQET puts