Grass Hut Corp. and Magic Pony present...
Plushtastrophe!
The Art of Plush

Opening
Thursday Dec 2, 6-10pm

Location:
Magic Pony Gallery
785 Queen St W (2nd Floor)
Toronto ON
416.861.1684

Runs from
Thursday Dec 2 to Jan 2, 2005

About Plushtastrophe
Plushtastrophe is an International exhibition that celebrates the art of plush. Over fifty artists from around the world showcase hand made, one of a-kind creations. Each soft sculpture has it’s own form, personality, and design with one common thread pulling them all together, these creations are plush! Curator Bwana Spoons explains it as this:

"When I feel a plushy in my hands and hold it close to my heart, I feel warm inside. That is why I must do the Plushtastrophe! The big question is - What is plush? I don't think there is a clear definition, however, there are a few telltale signs of a good plush: it is usually a bit soft, sometimes furry, maybe has an eye or two and some kind of appendage"

Plushtastrophe will be held at Magic Pony from December 2-January 2. There will be sixty artists in total showing work including five Canadian artists added for the Toronto exhibit: Tara Azzopardi, Sonja Ahlers, Monster Farms, Seth Scriver, and Tania Sanhueza. The opening reception will be held December 2 from 6-10pm at the Magic Pony Gallery.

Artists:
Tara Azzopardi / Sonja Ahlers / Monster Farms / Seth Scriver / Tania Sanhueza / Caroline Hwang / Amy Marks / Miriam / Brian Flynn / Dora Drimalas / Jason Sturgill / Soft Baked Goods / Bwana Spoons / Saelee Oh / Koji Harmon / Hazel Mandujano / Uglydolls / Sun-Min / Shawnimals / Furilla / Jen Rarey / Jill Bliss / Wonder Farms / Anthony Lecy-Siewert / Jing and Mark / Kate Sutton / Friends With You / Souther Salazar / Lark Pien and Jane Pien / Mumbleboy / Mark Nagata / Trish Grantham / Heather Q / Ian Lynam / Adam Arnold / Lisa De John / Nicole Mueller / Marc Willwerth / Katie Aaberg / Brent Johnson / Molly Anderson / Midori / Abby Dansiger / Wesley Younie / Chris Hutchinson / Mark Giglio / Adamar / Cupco / Apak / Koadzn / Gonzo / Scatha G. Allison / NoMe / Jayme Yen / Ciriaco Sayco / Antoi Celes / Mikas Mogo / pushpurix / Mark Arcenal / Greg "Pnut" Galinsky / Courtney Ryals / Silver Warner

About Plush
It is only recently that independent plush creations have gained recognition in North America. With the growing popularity of Creators such as Ugly Dolls and Friends With You, Western Society is beginning to look at plush as more than just child’s play. The appeal behind this new breed of plush characters is obvious: they are fun, creative and full of the kind of imagination and creativity often lacking in many of today’s mainstream plush. Curator Bwana Spoons recognized this growing trend and put together a traveling plush exhibit involving the most exciting practitioners in this field. Contributors come from Japan, Europe, North America and Canada. Plushtastrophe Toronto will be the third exhibit in this traveling show. The first two took place in Portland and San Francisco.

The artists behind these soft sculptures come from a wide range of backgrounds. Some are illustrators and designers, some are professional sewers and knitters, some are self-describe DIYers who just happened to have an idea for a character and some skill with a needle and thread. Many popular artists today choose to express themselves in more than one medium. Plush is an ideal way for them to experiment with character design without heavy monetary commitments required by other toy forms such as vinyl. Recently artists such as David Horvath and Sun Min of Ugly Dolls are having the best of both worlds with their original plush creations being transformed into vinyl figures.

Plushtastrophe brings together a world of characters full of imagination and humor. These Plush creations are made from unconventional fabrics, have tongue in cheek, larger than life personalities and often come with detailed biographies and interactive parts. It is truly inspiring to be surrounded by a collection of handmade creations sprung purely from the hyperactive minds of the contributing artists. Plushtastrophe was created for your enjoyment.

Please come experience the art of plush at Magic Pony this December.