TOYSREVIL @ [Shinigami: The Awakening] Show @ BLAXK (Opens May 14)
TL;DR: I had the opportunity to attend a Media Preview of the "Shinigami: The Awakening" exhibition @ BLAXK by ActionCity on Thursday afternoon, and posted here (and on Instagram) are some snaps I took. I have video walk-thrus currently watchable now on my Instagram (Gallery-right) and (Gallery left) - which I will reformat for YouTube (there were filmed in landscape format and might be confusing to embed now, cheers),. and embed here in time, cheers.
Made new friends, reconnected with some, with hand-shakes to be had (as opposed to polite COVID-fist-bumps), and at least managed a "Hi" with the man of the day, @iamwetworks! Missed @clogtwo tho, although I suspect he was at work (I went to the preview earlier in the day).. Congratulations all around for everyone involved!
ORIENTATION:
The images and video posted starts off from first turning RIGHT at the entrance, looking at the larger than life SHINIGAMI guarding the storefront, and the BLAXK LOTUS Edition of SHINIGAMI THE AWAKEN on display, walking into a line-up of SHINIGAMI Evolution - from vinyl figure to current Sold Out Resin version.
Walking along we are greeted with Unpainted Prototypes for MECHASOUL SHINIGAMI, CLOGGED CAPS and BEAST BATTLE ROYALE - the first two being collaborations with Clogtwo, while the 3rd is a collaboration with CHKHEAD, all of whom are being produced by @iamwetworks.
Heading to the left side of the Gallery, we are greeted with AP2K customs and editions, Star Wars-inspired Littles resin toys, followed by resin sculpts and wood sculpt (with FLABSLAB) - and a display of Wetworks collectibles - essentially a retrospective thus far of his toy-art. On the walls are canvas paintings from both Wetworks and Clogtwo.
We end the gallery display with a video playback of SHINIGAMI illustrations by the International Art Collective @rkt_kru, flashing on the standing screen.
PRESS RELEASE AHEAD:
All text from here are from the official Press Release, cheers.
Popular artists Wetworks and Clogtwo launch Shinigami: The Awakening exhibition, presented by BLAXK by ActionCity
Singapore, 12 May 2022 – As the space for pop culture, art and collectibles, BLAXK by ActionCity is proud to present Shinigami: The Awakening – an exhibition by two immensely talented and popular locally-based toy designers, Wetworks and Clogtwo!
Both artists are well-established names in their respective design fields. Wetworks’ oft sell-out art toy releases, inspired by comic characters and melded from his love for pop culture, have reached collector status, while Clogtwo is synonymous with his ‘MechaSoul’ artistic style of blending mechanical components into iconic characters, attracting high-profile collaborations with global brands including Apple, Adidas, G-Shock and even Mercedes-Benz.
The Shinigami: The Awakening exhibition is a debut event celebrating the re-birth of the artists’ previous collaboration, which spawned their iconic character, Shinigami.
Besides showcasing new large-scale Shinigami-inspired art paintings by both Wetworks and Clogtwo, as well as previous iconic art toys produced by the artists, the Shinigami: The Awakening – BLAXK Lotus, an art collectible figure decked in a whole new double-casted form which collectors have been anxiously waiting for with abated breath, will be launched exclusively at the exhibition. Shinigami by Wetworks x Clogtwo.
The Shinigami is as old as the moon.
This extra-dimensional being is covered in a smoke of spirits and shoulders a heavy scythe, feeding on every living soul of plants, animals and men. The rise of Shinigami was summoned by Wetworks x ClogTwo in 2017, when it was first released as a 6-inch tall vinyl figure (with a 5.5-inch tall scythe).
Designed by Clogtwo and co-produced by Wetworks through his sculpting and art direction, all hell broke loose with this release and the cult of Shinigami followers grew in numbers.
Fast forward to the present day, Wetworks x ClogTwo are back with the reincarnation of this toy icon under Shinigami: The Awakening presented by BLAXK by ActionCity. Inspired by samurai mythos, the Shinigami now boasts a new face-mask decked with kabuki horns, armour plates and its quintessential scythe takes on a meaner form.
As shared by Clogtwo on the birth of Shinigami: “The creation of Shinigami started off as a sketch idea, exploring the love of Japanese culture and skeleton forms. The concept of Shinigami was to introduce a character that crosses between tradition and street lifestyle; an entity that bridges life and death.
The Shinigami's first appearance was a full-fledge art piece fully spray-painted on the wall. Soon after, Wetworks and myself collaborated, opening a portal to allow the Shinigami to walk into our world, and a tangible 3-dimensional figure was brought to life from a flat 2- dimensional vision.”
The world of Shinigami: The Awakening exhibition by BLAXK by ActionCity
Lose yourself in the dreamscape world of Shinigami within BLAXK, as the gallery transforms into an ethereal environment with surreal elements of lotus and mysticism, drawing inspiration and energy from this enigmatic deathly being.
The pop-art focus of this exhibition is also highlighted by four large-scale original art paintings from Wetworks and Clogtwo each, of which two of them will form a massive painting to pay tribute to their Shinigami creation.
Another key highlight of the exhibition will be the showcase of previous iconic art toys released by Wetworks, curated by the artist himself. This archival collection includes earlier versions of Shinigami as well as Wetworks’ iconic creations, such as the AP-2K, Foxy and Deadstock – of which many are exclusive one-off pieces that have yet to appear in the public’s eyes.
This exhibition will also unveil prototype figures of the upcoming Wetworks x Clogtwo collaborations, including MechaSoul Shinigami and Clogged Caps, for fans and collectors to lay eyes on for the very first time.
Introducing the Shinigami: The Awakening – BLAXK Lotus As with all other previous sold-out releases of Shinigami by Wetworks x Clogtwo, the exclusive re-designed Shinigami: The Awakening - BLAXK Lotus art figure releasing during this exhibition will definitely generate hype from fans and collectors.
The BLAXK-exclusive Shinigami: The Awakening - BLAXK Lotus features a double-casting treatment used for the first time on this figure, which results in a crystal-like Shinigami with an inlaid lotus within the figure’s head. The inlaid lotus glows in the dark, giving this Shinigami: The Awakening - BLAXK Lotus figure an otherworldly presence in a dim environment.
This eye-catching design highlights the spirit form of the Shinigami in its natural state, imbued with the wisdom of the lotus, which is often associated with spiritual awareness and attainment.
Produced in limited numbers due to the complicated production process, the Shinigami: The Awakening - BLAXK Lotus will be only available for sale exclusively at the exhibition at SGD399. Aside from that, other merchandises, including designer Shinigami t-shirts by Wetworks x Clogtwo, will be available at the exhibition as well.
As summarised by Wetworks, “Shinigami: The Awakening represents the continued evolution of Shinigami both as an artform as well as a character, showing us that the world of Shinigami continues to intrigue us creators and collectors alike. We are glad to find a partner in BLAXK by ActionCity who sees the same vision as we do. BLAXK by ActionCity is able to produce and bring to life this new ethereal form of Shinigami with the inlaid lotus, as well as create the dreamscape world within the gallery space, thus truly able to help us bridge Shinigami: The Awakening from imagination to reality.”
Shinigami: The Awakening exhibition, presented by BLAXK by ActionCity, featuring Wetworks x Clogtwo will be opened to the public from Saturday, 14 March 2022 to Sunday, 10 July 2022.
