The Miraculous Inceptual Fear Machine

Los Angeles based artist Josh Mayhem's lifelong habit of collecting children's playthings has fueled his passion for transforming said toys into objects d'art. Among his best-known pieces are those constituting his “Blown Away” series, in which mass-produced forms are covered in strands of resin and layers of acrylic paint to create gravity-defying drips that give the impression of the work being deconstructed by a strong wind. The popularity of this aesthetic has led to Mayhem winning the Custom of the Year (Fan) award at the 2019 Designer Toys Awards, multiple releases with the many of the worlds top designer toy artists and producers, participating in TRASHed: Art of Recycling at Coachella Festival, and solo exhibitions at Clutter Gallery in Beacon NY, Bruce Lurie Gallery in Los Angeles CA (as well as an artist residency) , PIQ Grand Central Terminal in NYC, and The Crown Collection Gallery in both Denver and Los Angeles. In the process of creating his coveted sculptural works, Josh Mayhem uses gallery-quality canvases as drop cloths. As each becomes decorated with an accumulation of colorful drips, patterns begin to emerge in the artist's mind. Augmenting each one with coatings of synthetic resin and additional paint splashes, these works The Foomi is a miniature version of Kidrobot’s customizable vinyl figures, designed to inspire creativity and artistic expression. Standing at approximately 2 inches tall, Foomi features movable joints and a smooth surface, making it an ideal canvas for customization. Artists and enthusiasts can personalize Foomi using various mediums such as paint, markers, stickers, or other decorative elements. This DIY approach allows for a wide range of unique and personalized designs, contributing to the vibrant culture of designer toys. By day I work as a motion designer. By night I make customs. I got into doing customs toys in 2010, and what started as a hobby has turned into a lot more. I strive to do things I haven’t seen before. Custom toys are the only medium I’ve been able to look at, see exactly what I want in my head and then create it. My work technique ranges from the extraction of shapes, to threading, to the insertion of toothpicks or blocks. Regardless of the method, I always want my work to stand out. My customs have been shown at NYCC via Toy2R, as well as in several West Cost shows. Some of my pieces have been sold in the New York Kidrobot store, however, if you’re in the market for one of my customs you may want to check out memakestore.com Follow my progress on customs via my Twitter account. @carsoncatlin CCC