THE GAMES GO ON
Since their first exhibition in 1993 (Veenmuseum: Emmen, the Netherlands), the Toyism movement has progressively grown, building a solid foundation for Toyist art. The appealing characteristics of Toyist paintings involve the use of bright, lively and intense colors. The colors’ energy, along with lines, dots and shapes, are used to convey deep meanings through a playful point of view. Toyist art reveals a strong consciousness of not only the issues that globally afflict our times, but the joy we experience in life...From ecology and environmental pollution to our love of the earth and animals... From conflicts of war, yet the hope for world peace... From the inner struggles of the individual, to the quest for self-improvement. These contrasts are expressed through symbols, vivid colors, and meticulous detail. Toyism clearly places itself against the Ego that our society has over-developed. This is also the reason why all the Toyist artists paint under a pseudonym; they appear as anonymous, yet are part of the whole of Toyism, which they represent through their paintings, and the cartoon-type figures they typify. This is part of the game.
Dejo, the founder of Toyism, explains: “In 1992 a group of three artists, now expanded to eight, formed an aesthetic around the idea of toys and play. Rejecting the recent emphasis on ego in art, they wrote a manifesto called ‘Mother’, and used this as their watchword for ‘Art through the mind of a Toyist.’ Their style is figurative, colorful and precise; their images like fragments of a fairy tale. The artists use pseudonyms and masks to hide their true identities, all the while continuing to create work under their real names. They identify themselves using nicknames such as ‘Pixy’, ‘Toescat’, and ‘Mwano’. Artists who want to join the group are required to visit the Toyism Studio in Emmen, the Netherlands, before they can be admitted. Currently, the group comprises five Dutch, one South African, one Italian and two American artists.”
The art game played in Toyism is a serious matter. This sort of “playing” is intended to open up the viewer’s mind to a new, critical, and sensitive vision of the world. In effect, one of the most common factors among Toyists are their open minds, and the way in which they embrace other cultures, artists and their own Toyist role. In Toyism you must learn a new language: how to read and write with lines and dots, and how to use colors and shapes to convey the story a painting is supposed to tell. Each painting introduces a new game and tells a new story to be read by the public. In addition, the artists can either play this art-making game alone or with other Toyists. There are also multi-Toyist artworks, in which a series of paintings are combined to form one large piece…to make it whole. On these occasions, the viewer is clearly able to perceive the game played by the artists and can take an active part in it, since his/her role is definitively to untie the knots of the Toyist puzzle and interpret its symbols. Toyism has developed a very unique art style and has a strong concept for an “art group” that is totally new to the contemporary art panorama. Communication, poetry, emotion, and beauty are only some of the main aspects of Toyism that have appealed to the artists who have joined the group over the years.
Iffio’s artwork is absolutely delightful, and perfectly matches her positive attitude to the world. “I love to see and visit other cultures and travel frequently with my backpack and sketch book. Diving is one of my favorite sports; being underwater is so surreal and captivating.”
Jaf’r, another Toyist, is attracted to Toyism; mainly because of the technical complexity of the style. He writes: “A Toyistic painting has to convey a message, should not be too explicit, and must, above all, be beautiful! One additional aspect of Toyism I love is that we are able to work as a group, which is very special because the art world is a world of individual interests. Time after time, I’m delighted to see new paintings by the other Toyists, painted in their different styles; all within one style!” Jaf’r always searches for a particular match of colors; he never uses too many, only a selective few, to convey the meaning of the piece, in a bright and dynamic way.
Initially, Fihi was attracted by Toyism because of the resemblance to her own style of painting. Later, she started to become more deeply involved in the Toyist style of creating art. “I like to choose subjects for my paintings that I find interesting in form, color, or meaning… For me, that usually comes from nature… the beauty of animals, plants, and sometimes in relation to humans. At times, I like to give the painting a message to help people become more conscious about life issues.”
Alfago too, has developed a very personal style within Toyism. His artwork is poetic and meticulous, as he explains: “I mainly want to tell