I Am Legion ThreeA Custom Show

If you’re in the San Francisco area, and you have an interest in art or toys (or both), you should check out the I Am Legion ThreeA custom show currently on display at Gallery 1:AM. The exhibition is an ambitious introduction to the world of Ashley Wood, his ThreeA toy line and the fans who are Legion.

Customizer/collector James Brown curated the roster with an eye for diversity. More than 50 pieces represent work from established artists in a style you’d expect to see at a show like this (Frank Kozik, Ferg) and also some you might not (Amanda Visell, Luke Chueh).

As someone who doesn’t closely follow ThreeA, the most exciting thing for me was seeing the Legion through their art under one roof. I’ll say this: ThreeA has some of the most talented customizers in its ranks, as the technical skill shown in these works was among the best I’ve seen at a group show in a long while. Pieces like Muffinman’s Mini Me and Konfucious’ Little Prince combined technique with creativity, making them among the most memorable (for me). Props to James Brown for making it happen!

Sidenote: If you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen some tweets this afternoon about customized toys. These exchanges were born out of a (misunderstood) post regarding Coarse Toys’ decision to put a DIY toy on the market. The most direct answers to my query on why people paint over Coarse Toys came from Leecifer, who shared that it comes from a desire to imbue one’s own palette on an existing toy, and UncleStudio, who likened customization to fan fiction, calling it a “continuation of a storyline on an alternate plane”. I appreciate the dialogue. Discussion is good, people. And if I “hated all customs,” would I spend the time attending a show and writing about them? Look I even captioned all your names! Click through for the snaps, and definitely go check out I Am Legion at 1:AM SF.