If you’re participating in tonight’s First Friday gallery walk in Allentown, make sure you include a stop at Glow Gallery for the opening of Rich Tomasello’s “RHINO TOYS” exhibit – a series of toys and action figures representing the darker reality that children face growing up in today’s world.
Tomasello is joining forces with AV/DJ Keith Harrington, aka Projex, to incorporate live music and video projections into his show. The exhibit will feature eight 12”x8”x6” socio-political, mixed media action figure package designs addressing issues of violence, innocence, and gender roles, as well as fifteen 6”x9” action figures in the style of G.I. Joe or Star Wars 3 3/4” toys of the 1980’s. Tomasello will add a unique twist to the exhibit with a series of RHINO TOYS commercials.
“RHINO TOYS has organically grown from my earliest Rhinoceros series of artwork, which consisted of pastel and pen, and ink drawings loosely based on the play Rhinoceros written by absurdist playwright Eugene Ionesco in 1959,” Tomasello writes in his artist statement. “The play and the work I made helped me contextualize a brutal physical attack I experienced in college. The Rhinoceros characters in that work addressed individuality, gang mentality, masculinity, power, and oppression. RHINO TOYS are an expansion of the world of those characters. They are essentially an evil corporation creating violent and foreboding toys for children. While fictitious in nature, RHINO TOYS reflects our world in a very real way.”
Last year, following the school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, Tomasello created two action figure pieces titled Teacher and Student, which came armed with guns, bullets, clips, body armor, grenades, gas masks, and human targets. This project opened up a whole new medium for Tomasello to reflect and share his perspective, and encourage viewers to consider the violent realities unfolding in the world around us.
“A toy is supposed to be innocent and for children. The world children are growing up in today is anything but innocent. These toys represent this reality,” he said.
“The art making process for RHINO TOYS consists of meticulously crafted toy package designs made in Adobe Photoshop. Old home photos from my childhood, or current photographs of my family, are used in the packaging design. Once these designs are printed, they are hand cut and assembled with archival tapes and adhesives.”
Outside the gallery, a giant photo booth will be set up so visitors can take photos of themselves as real-life action figures (with camera or cell phone). There will also be a cash bar and hors d’oeuvres set up on the patio outside.
Glow Gallery is located at 224 Allen Street. The show opening will run from 6-11 p.m. Tomasello’s work will remain on exhibit through August 27. For more information, visit the Facebook event page or Rich Tomasello’s website.