Comrades in fur: Baseman, Ryden, and Biskup cause a whiteout…

Otaku MARK RYDEN fans got a much-needed dose of face time with their art idol in Tokyo last Saturday nite when his hotly anticipated new “Snow Yak Show” debuted at TOMIO KOYAMA GALLERY. In attendance were longtime Ryden brothers-in-arms TIM BISKUP and GARY BASEMAN who helped their bearded elder celebrate in true snow yak style replete with fuzzy white headgear and ice cold hearts to boot. The sold out show of new oil paintings and drawings represents a stark aesthetic departure for the artist who leaves behind his trademark meat-laden painting style and ornate frames behind with this collection of minimalist new work. HAVE A LOOK: Read the rest of this entry »

T9G, Marion Peck, Mark Ryden, and Tim Biskup are all nerds…

Masters of vinyl toydom TIM BISKUP and Tokyo’s T9G teamed up to blow minds of Japanese collectors with their “T x T Project” of collaborative vinyl toys and new paintings from Mr Biskup that opened last weekend at STITCH GALLERY. Cobbling together new toys mad scientist style using the best parts (giblets included) from their own respective signature artist toys, the dynamic duo gave frenzied onlookers a glimpse of how cool the modern world of vinyl toys could be if places like Kid Robot didn’t actually exist. Needless to say, the pair’s legion of devoted fanboys and girls lined up for blocks to get a glimpse at the neon colored spectacle and snatch up newly released colorways of the pair’s new collaborative production toy “Rangeas” which sold out instantaneously. Also of note was the sneek peek look at the new prototype of T9G’s version of Tim Biskup’s iconic “Helper” toy set to be released this spring. HAVE A LOOK: Read the rest of this entry »

Otaku toy collectors are rejoicing at the upcoming joint show at Tokyo hotspot STITCH between TIM BISKUP and mad scientist Japanese designer T9G (Ta-Ku-Ji) whose wild remixes of each other’s iconic figures are poised to single-handedly breathe new life into the slumping vinyl toy genre. Dubbed the “T x T Project,” the show will also feature a colorful array of brand new Tim Biskup Kaiju paintings alongside the release of several incredibly rare production vinyl toys and art prints created especially for the occasion. The jump-off is February 6th, frequent flying toy nerds best cash in their miles now. HAVE A LOOK: Read the rest of this entry »

The “Snow Yak” himself, and a detail of Ryden’s “Fur Girl” painting/print…

Otaku MARK RYDEN fans clamoring for a close-up look at their messiah will have to head out to Tokyo next month to witness the opening of “The Snow Yak Show” in person on February 7 at TOMIYO KOYAMA GALLERY. The show features eight new paintings including “Sophia’s Bubbles,” a large-scale, 7 1/2 foot-wide piece that made its auspicious debut with Tomiyo Koyama at Art Basel Miami in late 2008, along with an array of smaller drawings and paintings studies. Most notable about these new pieces is Ryden’s abrupt stylistic departure from the baroque detail of his previous works in favor of a more austere and minimal approach characterized by an icy cool color palette and nearly barren backgrounds. What’s not captured in these accompanying photos, of course, is the incredibly delicate array of nuanced colors Ryden has layered in these deceptively simple portraits as well as a variety of distinct new textural surface treatments unseen in his previous work. It is (unfortunately for cash-strapped fans) a show that truly must be seen in person to be fully appreciated. Expect full coverage of the event here on Supertouch as well as an interview with the elusive artist following the show’s debut. For fans that simply can’t wait for the show to open, a limited-edition print of his new “Fur Girl” painting is available NOW through PORTERHOUSE FINE ART. Meanwhile, HAVE A LOOK: Read the rest of this entry »

Pipo Kun on the job keeping the toy asile safe for otaku nerds everywhere…

Tokyo travelers know that the national obsession with kawaii (”cute”) character mascots is ubiquitous to the point that even the police have their own cartoon buddy, PIPO KUN, to keep them warm & fuzzy inside (too bad the same’s not true here, we can only imagine the mascots the LAPD & NYPD would come up with). In a very unofficially sanctioned homage to the gunless wonders that keep Japan the safest country on the planet, Supertouch buddy KAWS has just released two colorways of his own XX-eyed version of the little do-gooder called “JPP” for sale on his personal website. Produced by MEDICOM TOYS for KAWS’ ORIGINAL FAKE label, the little buggers are 8″ of crime-stopping vinyl in either yellow or black (1,000 pieces produced per colorway), and will set you back $98 each. Don’t sleep; these will disappear faster than John McCain’s presidential run. HAVE A LOOK: Read the rest of this entry »

Ewoks and George’s last 3 movies made us hate Star Wars but Usugrow’s gangster Darth brought us back… 

If you’re like us the last thing you wanna look at is another painted toy/object show. Keeping that in mind, we couldn’t help but be stoked to catch a look at the ill work of our boy USUGROW at the Japan touchdown of the VADER PROJECT 2008 at MAKUHARI-MESSE in Chiba this weekend. Lending his signature black ink linestyle and to-die-for lettering to a creamy vanilla Darth Vader helmet (a real one at that) for the show honoring the 3oth anniversary of Star Wars in Japan, the mysterious artist proved that there’s still fresh blood in the murky waters of this tired genre. Other good looks came from amazing Japanese toy sculptor T9G, and an amazing Vader as samurai helmet. Of course the hoards of Japanese otaku nerd girls in stormtrooper uniforms wasn’t too hard on the eyes. Now the only scary thing is knowing that a painted Han Solo-in-Carbonite sculpture show is undoubtedly on the horizon. HAVE A LOOK: Read the rest of this entry »

In their ongoing graphics collaboration for ORIGINAL FAKE, Supertouch homies MARK DEAN VECA and Mr KAWS have again teamed up to bring you this hyperdetailed Veca-penned rendering of XX-eyed mastermind’s classic Blitz bomb character. Look for it on T-shirts in Fall 2008. As for the original, you’ll have to get an invitation to KAWS’ house to see it on his wall…

Summer is almost here and after becoming a more scarce sight in recent years it’s nice to see that the infamous “ROCKABILLY DANCERS” of Tokyo’s YOYOGI OLYMPIC PARK  are back in full effect. Convening in the park as a weekly Sunday ritual, for years these cartoon rockabilly heroes have set up camp in full gear complete with a throng of period-attired betties, custom cars, and a portable sound system pumping out high-octane vintage rockabilly to power their day-long Sha-Na-Na-worthy dance performances. Needless to say, it’s a sight that must be witnessed in person to be believed. HAVE A LOOK: Read the rest of this entry »