The Art of Change

Comments (0) By Chantal Jolagh Wednesday, Nov 16 2011

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1AM Gallery

1000 Howard St.
San Francisco, CA 94103

Category: Galleries

Region: South of Market

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Modifying things with the hope they'll look or perform better is nothing new. Look at sports cars, body piercings and tattoos, and Pamela Anderson. An art form based on this idea is becoming more common – toy modification. You might ask, "Why do toys need modification?" Consult a 10-year-old whose plain toy tank just became remote-controlled with added power and speed (not to mention the artist who had a blast making it that way). "I Am Legion" is an exhibit of 115 modified toys, all from a company called threeA. Each artist in the exhibit was given a toy to be modified. Additions include LED lights, motors, robotic components, and paint. Some have a dark spin to them – “Black Luck-Genbu” by an artist called Crestone looks like it walked out of a post-apocalyptic nightmare. Others are more whimsical, such as “Soap Bubbles Bombaboss” by Muffinman, which is a young boy in a hooded sweatshirt blowing globular transparent bubbles made from some plastic or polymer. Organizers say some of the pieces took seven months to complete. This gallery has done toy modification classes and exhibits before, so it's the first place we look for the next big thing in customization.
Tuesdays-Sundays. Starts: Nov. 4. Continues through Dec. 4, 2011