Summer Show:

Toy Metamorphosis  -creating art from the past-



August 13 (Sun) - 19 (Sat), 2023

Crow, 2023
©︎ Stephanie Quayle
Photography: Osamu Sakamoto

Gallery 38 is pleased to present “Toy Metamorphosis -creating art from the past-”, collaborative exhibition with TOY and ART which organizes art projects using toy upcycling.   

Gallery 38 has hosted seven editions of Kids Gallery Day, a series of children's workshops, each based on the features of the exhibition. The programme began with the simple wish that children would feel comfortable coming to the gallery, experiencing art and exploring different feelings and thoughts by seeing the artwork with their own eyes.

The TOY and ART initiative was launched in 2022. The vision is to upcycle toys to rediscover the new value in used toys and help children learn the importance of creativity and sustainability. The project encourages people to donate their unwanted and used toys, which are then reused to create works of art. In addition to promoting the efficient use of resources and reducing the increasing amount of toys discarded in Japan in recent years (estimated at 6 tons per year), children explore ways to reuse the shapes and materials of toys and realize their own creative ideas.

In preparation for this exhibition, we asked the children to study and create "self-portraits" over a period of four months. They learned that a self-portrait is not necessarily an actual copy of their own face, but rather an expression of themselves, which led to a long process of making a rough sketch, toy selection, and production. The exhibition presents these "self-portrait" works by very young artists.

We have also invited six artists/designers who support this initiative to take part in the exhibition. They have created new works in their field of expertise, using the same materials (toys) as the very young artists.

TOY and Art states, “Through this exhibition, we, TOY and ART,  have discovered new possibilities. We continue to expand our activities with artists, companies, organizations, educational institutions, and people who share our vision, and plan to develop various art projects to change the ‘negative cycle’ of buying and throwing away toys. We believe that ‘the life of a toy is short, but the value of art is eternal’”.

This is a rare opportunity to see children's works and thriving artists in one place. We hope you will visit us and enjoy the exhibition.

<Participating Artists>

19 Kids Artists

Stephanie Quayle (Sculptor), Darren Jackson (Sculptor), Naho Okamoto (SIRISIRI / Jewelry Designer), Miyu Hosoi (Sound Artist), Baku Maeda (Product Designer), So Mitsuya (Photographer)

* The works of the above-mentioned participating artists will be available for bidding in a secret auction format at Gallery 38. All proceeds from the auction will be donated to General Incorporated Association TOY to ART, organization that runs TOY and ART initiative, and will be used for future activities. For more information, please contact  contact@gallery-38.com.

So Mitsuya
Photography
Accumulation Point, 2023

Stephanie Quayle
Sculpture
Crow, 2023

Miyu Hosoi
Sound Piece
A place between past and now - Window, 2023

Exhibition Detail:

Toy Metamorphosis -creating art from the past

Date: August 13 (Sun) - 19 (Sat), 2023
Hours: 11:00 am - 5:00 pm
* Please note that the opening hours are different from the gallery’s usual business hours.

Opening reception: August 13 (Sun), 15:00 - 17:00

Place: Gallery 38 
2-30-28 Jingumae, Shibuya, Tokyo

Kids Artists

Boyun, Ema, Kanae, Karan, Hana, Haru. I, Haru. H, Hinata, Jackie, Lino, Maya, Obi, Remi, Sachi, Sana, Sena, Tomoya, Yue, Yutaro (19 kids)

Participated Artists

Stephanie Quayle, Sculptor (b. 1982)

Stephanie Quayle received her BA in Fine Art as top of her class from the Slade School of Art, London, in 2005, and her MA in Fine Art from the Royal College of Art, London, in 2007. Born and raised on the Isle of Man, whose ancient civilisation bears the strains of Irish, Anglo-Saxon, Viking, Norwegian, Scottish and English influences, she currently lives there on the family farm, raising sheep and cows with her parents, and making her artwork in an old farm mill outbuilding.


Darren Jackson, Sculptor

Darren Jackson is originally from Sunderland, northern England and currently resides in the Isle of Man. Before devoting himself to sculpture, Jackson was a model-maker and special effects technician. He has made sculptures in ice, sand and concrete at symposiums across Europe, Russia and Canada and continues to work with a variety of materials including metal, wood, plaster, sand and clay.

Naho Okamoto, SIRI SIRI / Jewelry Designer

Influenced by her father, an architect and abstract painter, Naho Okamoto was surrounded by art and design from an early age. In 2006 she started her own brand, SIRI SIRI, which uses natural materials as much as possible to create jewelry through design and craft. Currently based in Switzerland, Okamoto was awarded the 23rd Kuwasawa Prize in 2015 and was selected as a finalist for the 2020 THE LUXURY INNOVATION AWARD (Switzerland).

Miyu Hosoi, Sound Artist (b. 1993)

Miyu Hosoi creates sound installations using multi-channel sound systems, outdoor installations, performing arts productions, and works featuring multiple recordings of her own voice. Her works have been presented at  NTT InterCommunication Center [ICC],  Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media [YCAM], Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre, Haneda Airport, Audio Engineering Society [AES], Aichi Arts Center, Nagano Prefectural Art Museum and more. She is a recipient of the 23rd Japan Media Art Festival Art Division New Face Award.

Baku Maeda, Product Designer (b. 1974)

Born in Hokkaido, Baku Maeda gragudated from the Faculty of Economics at Hokkai-Gakuen University.

Maeda uses a variety of approaches, both two-dimensional and three-dimensional, to create works based on illustration. In recent years, regardless of time and place, he has continued to present works based on discoveries and inventions that are not bound by existing genres, such as the ribbon-based art 'Ribbonesia', the stamp-based collage 'STAMP BY ME' and the two-dimensional character 'EYE OF FIRE', regardless of time or place. .

So Mitsuya, Photographer (b. 1990)

Born in Kyoto, So Mitsuya won Japan Photo Award 2018 and received both Charlotte Cotton Award and David Toro Award. He was selected as one of the artists for “LUMIX MEETS BEYOND 2020 BY JAPANESE PHOTOGRAPHERS #7” in 2019. Mitsuya has participated in numerous group shows including UNSEEN Amsterdam (Gashouders), Photo Saint-Germain (Galerie Nicolas Deman) and Kyotographie, and he recently had his second solo show “Bread and Butter'' at SALT AND PEPPER in Tokyo. In 2021, he published “VISITORS” from Rondade/Prototype.