Massive Toy Art Collection Coming to Berlin
Later this month, quite possibly the largest ever exhibition of toy art, will open at the me Collectors Room in Berlin. If you’re familiar with the Toy Giants book project, Selim Varol’s epic collection requires no introduction. Varol explains his collection (with a nod to Gang of Four) as:
my collection, that’s me – my childhood, my friends, my heroes, my role models, what i enjoy, what moves me. pictures from my journey: ‘at home i’m a tourist’
From May 26 through September 16th, the me Collectors Room Berlin presents the collection of Selim Varol. The 39-year-old collector from Düsseldorf with Turkish roots has been collecting toys since his childhood and owns one of the largest collections of figurines in Europe, numbering some 15,000 pieces. A further focus of his collection lies in works by artists who trace their origins back to street art and ‘Pop Surrealism’. One characteristic shared by all the works in this collection is the close link between art and the everyday, as well as their often playful and humorous or subversive character.
The exhibition includes a total of 3,000 works (not limited to toy art) by more than 200 artists and designers from over 20 countries. Plans are under way to enable artists involved in the exhibition to paint or paste designated facades in the area around the venue. The exhibition will be accompanied by an extensive catalogue of the collection that will include a text by MOCA’s Jeffrey Deitch.
Above is Mr. Varol. Below is a fraction of the artists represented in this major exhibition:
Shepard Fairey, KAWS, JR, Faile, Futura, Banksy, Josh Keyes, Barry Mcgee, Damien Hirst, Dalek, Mark Ryden, James Jarvis, Coarse, Ferg, Frank Kozik, Pete Fowler, Gary Baseman, Tim Biskup, Jeremy Fish, Bountyhunter, Dr. Romanelli, Yoshitomo Nara, Marion Peck, Polly Morgan, Todd Schorr, Takashi Murakami, David Choe, Anthony Lister, Jeff Koons, Nathan Jurevicius, Michael Lau, Mars 1, Jim Woodring, Gary Taxali, Superdeux, Charles Kraft, James Cauty, Margaret Kilgallen, Friends With You, Os Gemeos, Jeff Soto, Brendan Monroe, Lady Aiko, Perks & Mini, Bob Dob…
See the full artist roster here. Check out what’s coming up at Varol’s Galerie SPRINGMANN here. Revisit the heaven that is his Toykio Art Gallery and Cafe here.
