The world of art toys, the hot taste of Z generation that goes beyond art and toys > NFT_News KDCA(한국데이터공인인증원)

In early June, artist Tobey posted an image of his new art toy series ‘REST’ on his Instagram account. After a while, he received a direct message (DM) saying that he wanted to purchase the work. The sender was actor Noah Centineo, who rose to fame as a teen star with <To All the Boys I've Loved Before> in 2018. The scene of ‘cool transaction’ where creators post photos of their works on social media, communicate directly with buyers via messenger without the help of galleries or agencies, and make payment through PayPal, an online simple payment service. This is not an unfamiliar scene in the world of ‘hot’ art toys these days.

 

Art toys are attracting attention as an art genre loved by the younger generation these days. Figures, which are well-known as collection objects that ‘Kid+Adults’ are enthusiastic about, are mass art produced in 3D form of existing intellectual property rights (IP) such as animation and movie characters, Art toys are also called “designer toys,” as they are created by the artist himself, from planning to production, by taking a concept and adding formativeness to it.

Author Torbay cited the charm of art toys as being "works that the artist makes for me (the buyer)." In the case of handmade works, the production cost is high, so they are not made in advance, but after receiving a pre-order, they start production. There are many cases in which the artist and the buyer communicate directly, so special requests are reflected depending on the artist. Artist Torbay hinted, "We can give the buyer a sign at the desired location."

The best-known art toy in Korea is BE@RBRICK, which was born in Japan in 2001. Artist Torbay explained that Bearbrick is called a “platform toy” among art toys because “it is a genre in which various variations are produced by painting or transforming the basic form of a bear as a platform.” BE@RBRICK, which has been transformed through collaboration with various brands such as Chanel and Gucci, stimulated the public's desire to own it by appearing in music videos and SNS of popular Korean musicians. Hip-hop musicians are Art Toy's representative collectors.

China is the largest market for art toys, with Asia's largest art toy fair held in Shanghai and Beijing. As a result of a survey of Pop Mart, China's largest art toy brand, the number of art toy collectors increased 3.3 times for 3 years from 2015, the first year of the Art Toy Fair. Curator Kwak Yeo-reum, who was in charge of Urban Break’s ‘Art Toy Special Exhibition’, which advocated an Urban & Street Art Fair, said, “The art toy craze that emerged in Hong Kong and China is spreading throughout Asia, including Thailand and Vietnam. Recently, at the Art Toy Fair, Many people line up to buy works by lesser-known artists,” she said of the local atmosphere.

 

According to Tmall, China's largest online shopping mall, the largest consumers of figures and art toys are Generation Z, born after 1995. Korea is no different. Curator Kwak Yeo-reum said, “These days, many consumers in the art field are born in the 1990s and 2000s. It may be because the art toy genre is suitable as a means to show one’s taste consumption.” As much as the artist's worldview and story are contained in the art toy, the individuality of the work is strongly revealed. ‘The P’, an art toy with a shaggy beard, half-closed eyes and a cute body, is known as the signature of Tobey. Even if the clothes or posture are different, anyone can recognize at a glance that it is a work of 'Tobeyi'. Unlike painting, this is the point that appeals to the younger generation. Artist Torbay said, "As the illustration market has grown tremendously recently, it seems that art toys that solve the same subject relatively easily are more loved than profound sculptures."

The price, which is “reasonable” compared to sculptures, has also become a virtue of sculptures that can be brought into the house. Handmade art toys made by the artist are usually traded for more than 300,000 won. Mass-produced works produced in factories are relatively cheap, and some are in the 100,000 won range. The material uses industrial resin, a type of plastic, and the price range varies depending on what other materials are used. An art toy by Taiwanese actor Zhu Gol-ryun, who is known as an art lover, and an art toy made in collaboration with Dior by KAWS, an American pop art artist who is also famous as an artist, priced at 50,000 yuan (approximately 9.7 million won). In 2018, a public art project in which the Lotte Distribution Business Headquarters floated a 28-meter-tall Kaws work on Seokchon Lake became popular, and an art toy sold for 198,000 won at the time also made a big sale. In the case of Kaws, even mass-produced works rise and fall in the 1 million won range. It's no surprise to a generation that spends a lot of money on limited-edition sneakers.

Works of art have now become an item that people pass by and buy when they catch their eye. Urban Break opened a preview exhibition and pop-up store where you can meet art toys, paintings, prints, and posters at The Hyundai Seoul in Yeouido, Seoul on the 7th ahead of the opening on the 21st. Visitors to the department store took pictures of art toys or freely browsed T-shirts with images of works printed on them. Recently, exhibitions and art fairs are being held one after another in department stores. In front of the event name, the formula “for the MZ generation” is attached as a standard. Curator Kwak Yeoreum said, “I wondered if a purchase would be made at a department store, but People were passing by and asked for information about the artist, or even though some were not a collector, they told that they liked it and paid for it. There seems to be a consumer culture where people buy art the same way they buy food and clothes.”

If Michelangelo lived in this era, would he have made a type-lapse compressed video of the Pieta's sketch and sculpting process, and then released it on YouTube? Through his YouTube channel, Tobey has released a video of the production process, from sketching to molding, brushing, and taping, as well as the artist's planning intention. The scene where you can take off and put on the Art Toy's cap and attach the AirPods with built-in magnets to its ears is more powerful than any home shopping video.

 

Curator Kwak Yeoreum, who owns 15 art toys, said, “People who really like art toys buy two each.” One point is used to play with like a 'toy' while getting dirty, and one point is used to store it well so that it does not burn. Art toys are also produced in limited quantities of 10 to 20 per piece, and are assigned a unique number like a print.

Planner Kwak Yeoreum said, "With the start of COVID 19 and the opening of the metaverse and non-fungible token (NFT) era, the 3D character market has grown, and as a result, the art toy market made in 3D has also expanded." As the market has grown rapidly in just one or two years, more and more people have entered the market for investment purposes. As the virtual currency market has slowed down, some collectors have turned their attention to art toys and started to discover new artists. Planner Kwak also said, “As long as it is possible to sell on site, I have been asked by a customer who has written down a list of art toy purchases at an art fair to give me the booth number (so that they can find him right away).” Indeed, the tension of the ‘open run’ is sensed.

Art Toy has infinite scalability in that it leads to collaboration with various brands such as fashion, furniture, food, and stationery when a character appears. In collaboration with Kolon's menswear brand Custom Mellow, Tobey also produced a limited edition art toy to be presented to customers who purchase a suit. Created by designer Kenny Wong from Hong Kong, ‘Molly’ is a representative art toy character that has secured a thick fan base in Greater China. Since 2006, more than 15 series have been released and various derivative products have been created.

From the 21st to the 24th, Urban Break, which will be held at COEX in Seoul, will feature a special exhibition by world-renowned pop artist Matt Gondeck. Expectations are high as an opportunity to meet his artwork, which is well known for dismantling or twisting familiar characters such as Mickey Mouse, Pink Panther, and The Simpsons. In addition, a special exhibition of domestic art toy artists will be prepared with the participation of 7 artists belonging to Stereogram, to which artists such as Jacob and A1 belong, and 9 artists including Tobey, Kim Tae-woo, Choi Eun-byeol, Nomaru, and Lee Ja-ka. Curator Kwak Yeoreum said, “It has the characteristics of an incubator that allows domestic art toy artists to have a competitive edge in the global market.” She revealed the purpose, saying, “I wanted to shed light on the works of domestic artists who do not have many opportunities to showcase their works and provide an opportunity to meet the audience.” In the meantime, art toy lovers have often purchased the works of famous overseas artists through purchasing agents or direct purchases. Urban Break also has plans to open its own platform for art toy transactions for the active activities of domestic artists.

 

Artist Torbay, who is entering his 7th year of debut, participated in Urban Break as a creative director and was in charge of curation in the art toy area. He, who is working hard to expand the base of the art toy genre by holding offline classes to share his know-how, said “I thought no one was watching my work, but everyone was watching,” he said. He added, “If you have the will and passion to do it, you can do enough work in the ‘open’ world,” 

추천0