Scarygirl & Blister

Toy Tokyo is a renowned specialty toy store located in New York City’s East Village at 91 Second Avenue, between East 5th and East 6th Streets. Established in 2000 by owner Israel “Lev” Levarek, the store has become a haven for collectors and enthusiasts, offering a diverse selection of toys and collectibles.   The store specializes in a wide range of items, including vintage and contemporary toys, action figures, designer art toys, and pop culture memorabilia. Much of its inventory is imported from Japan and Hong Kong, featuring products related to anime, superheroes, and iconic franchises. Notably, Toy Tokyo offers exclusive items from brands such as KAWS, Funko, Ron English, and Medicom Toy. Mixed media tends to refer to a work of visual art that combines various traditionally distinct visual art media. For example, a work on canvas that combines paint, ink, and collage could properly be called a "mixed media" work. When creating a painted or photographed work using mixed media it is important to choose the layers carefully and allow enough drying time between the layers to ensure the final work will have integrity. If many different media are used it is equally important to choose a sturdy foundation upon which the different layers are imposed. Many interesting effects can be achieved by using mixed media. Often, found objects are used in conjunction with traditional artist media, such as paints and graphite, to express a meaning in the everyday life. In this manner, many different elements of art become more flexible than with traditional artist media. Having grown up on the West Coast most of my life and coming from a family of uber ‘antique’ collectors and artists, my eclectic upbringing was filled with a wide range of ’Pop’ ephemera. Many of those inspirations now show up in my work and stem from the backdrop of my childhood. The Subject of my paintings is a world of side-show icons, deviant Animalia, and ‘masked’ glorified cartoon alter egos. I utilize these icons and character cultures as antithetical counterparts to what we are lead to believe as being innocent and socially acceptable. Although misfits on the surface, a sense of relation is understood, secret from the public - we are all misfits; hiding behind animated personas, odd and beautifully unusual. Who is it that we relate to? The lonely little boy hiding in a bear suite, the evil lustful pool-hall wolf, the sexualized little girl who secretly wants more. The environment and its limited population are meant to conjure these questions, the viewers are confronted with fi Kathie Olivas is an internationally exhibited multi-media artist from New Mexico. Through her current body of work, the Misery Children, she explores society’s insatiable desire to assign ‘cuteness’ and our discomfort with the unknown. A dark blend of early American portraiture set in post apocalyptic times, Kathie’s paintings and custom toys are a satirical look at how fear affects our sense of reality. One of the central questions raised in Kathie’s work is that of ‘what if’: what if these ‘cute’ creatures had their own agenda? Are they attune to something beyond our understanding, or are we simply too cowardly to acknowledge it? Are their misshapen limbs and plated mouths a deformation from living in a desolate wasteland,or perhaps an adaptation for protection? The Misery Children are meant to evoke a nostalgic reaction that reflects isolation, fear and an uncertainty, yet they also act as empowered alter egos. While these characters explore their new lonely worlds, they double as our narrators. They guide us through their reality as they experience it and yet, even in their company, we are granted no reassurance. Back in 2004, Magic Pony hosted Nathan’s first North American art show “Forests Have Feelings Too” and held our very first DIY Toy Party with Nathan as the guest artist! Oh the memories! Since then, Scarygirl has become a cult character whose designer toys, online comic, game and artwork have won millions of fans world-wide. To celebrate a decade of creativity, Nathan Jurevicius has curated over 100 artists to create the Scarygirl 10 year Anniversary exhibition. Each artist has selected one of the main characters from the world of Scarygirl – Chihoohoo, Treedweller, Blister, Egg, Bunniguru, Dr Maybee, and Scary Girl and reinterpreted them in their own style. Participating artists include: Alex Mcleod & Krystle Tabujara, Angel & Justin, Akiko Ito, Akinori Oishi, Aaron Stewart, Ajee, Apak, Abe Lincoln Jr, Andrew Bell, Ania Tomicka, Andrea Kang, Allison Cole, Arv Slabosevicius, Adrienne Marcella Kammerer, Austin Power, Beck Wheeler, Bwana Spoons, Bubi Au Yeung, Bibbe Hansen, Ben Newman, Bev Hogue, Darcel Disappoints, Diavù, Destroy You, David Healey, Erica Calardo, Eric Holswade, Emily Bricker, Emiline Allen, Evoker, Erin Bushelman, The Beast Brothers, Frank Kozik, Gemma Correll, Gary Ham, Gabe Gill, Hyein Lee, Haze XXL, HAZ, Itokin Park, Junko Mizuno, Jesse LeDoux, Jesse Hernandez, Jon Burgerman,