Chris Ryniak / Jonathan Bergeron / Bigshot Toyworks: Misfortunate Travelers, production pictures and interview

More has been revealed about this amazing joint effort that is going to take place at Galerie d'Art Yves Laroche in Montreal. This fantastic piece of work is a collab between artists Chris Ryniak and Jonathan Bergeron, in association with Bigshot Toyworks, and will be the center piece for their show titled "Misfortunate Travelers"! This piece of work will stand approximately 7" tall and is made of resin, and will be available at the show opening at Yves Laroches, as well as in limited quantities at the upcoming San Diego Comic Con 2009.

Product Info:

• All include a limited edition metallic letterpressed print
• 80 pieces will be available from Yves Laroche Galerie d'Art and 20 from Bigshot Toyworks
• a full color edition of 100 will be available soon from Bigshot Toyworks (email sales@bigshottoyworks.com for info)
• $100 USD Each

If all that is not enough info to swallow, we have more for you! Steve Brown of The Steve Brown Gallery had the opportunity to interview these artists. He really asks some great questions and gets down to why these artists do what they do, along with the whole story behind the making of this super unique piece of art! So be sure to CLICK THROUGH for all the juicy details in this rad interview!

There's been a lot of ink spilled over the "lowbrow" art movement. Much of it struggling to define (or just find a better name than "lowbrow") an incredibly diverse pool of talent that almost prides itself on defying categorization. Names like "pop surrealism" get attached, but the idea of lumping Yoshitomo Nara and Mark Ryden in the same blanket category seems ludicrous.

So lets skip all that bogus analysis and self-important posturing, and get to the point: there are people creating some absolutely incredible artwork these days. Jonathan Bergeron and Chris Ryniak are two of them.

Chris Ryniak creates some of the most absurdly realistic creatures that you've never seen. It's easy, when looking at his work, to believe that he didn't create them at all. That he simply lifted the right leaf in his backyard and painted what he saw. The humanistic qualities in his work are archetypical, and resonate with the viewer on the most basic level: you are seeing anger and joy and quiet contemplation on faces that are neither familiar nor completely alien. You are seeing nature reflecting our own lives back to us in the only way that makes sense, and it's incredibly easy to fall into Ryniak's world without hesitation...because his work makes you feel like you already live there. Plus: it's pretty rad.

Jonathan Bergeron, known to many as "Johnny Crap", takes a different approach: through the use of his "Calavera" character, he overlaps the ideas of death and life, and takes them for a leisurely stroll about town. Disguised in an assortment of outfits, an abstract concept becomes an oddly jovial ambassador to the world. Whether aping the Beastie Boys or taking a walk across the country, Bergeron's Calavera is the eternally cheerful reminder that life is merely celebration in the face of annihilation. We're all one foot in the grave, but ultimately that knowledge is the only thing making our lives worth living. By acknowledging death, dressing it up, and making it part of the fabric of our everyday lives we are acknowledging our fate without bemoaning or fearing it. And it looks good in your dining room.

Ryniak and Bergeron have a dual-show coming up at the Yves Laroche Gallery in Montreal. Both artists will be showcasing their newest works and also releasing a collaborative resin statue, produced by industry head-turners, Bigshot Toyworks. Both artists took time from their busy schedules to chat about their new work, collaborating with each other, and the huge chunk of awesome they're releasing together.

The obvious first question, of course, is how did this show come about?

CMR: I first met Yves last year at San Diego comic con, He really liked my work and wanted to do a show with me. I had known of Johnny's work, but the gallery was the one responsible for putting us together in the show.

JC: I was part of a groupshow at SDCC 08 that Murphy Designs put together and Yves Laroche, owner of Galerie Yves Laroche, went to the show and I think that he met Chris there. I was already scheduled to show in 2009 at the Montreal gallery and I was looking for someone else to share the space. Yves thought that it would be a good match and I have to say that I think that he was right.

Doing a show with another artist is one thing...usually you've got your wall, they've got theirs. But collaborating on a resin statue is another matter entirely. How did that chunk of radness come about?

CMR: Klim [Bigshot Toyworks] sparked the idea, the dude has a million of 'em! I had talked to him at length last year (also at San Diego Comic Con) about getting some sort of dimensional piece going. Fast forward about 6 months and this opportunity to do something arose. It was a really unique idea and Klim was determined to make it happen.

JC:Klim wanted to work with Chris, and Chris thought that it would be cool to do a collab with me and have it ready for the show. Yves and I already talked about the possibility to do something in 3D with my Calavera character, so the gallery is also behind us for the sculpt. I was in contact with Klim before this, and I told him in the past that I would like to work with him at some point. So it all came together pretty fast. I also have to say that I am quite pleased with the piece so far. It's a really cool sculpt and it's really fun to work with Chris on that. We both seemed to go in the same direction on it, it's like we could both see the same final piece in our heads.

Klim Kozinevich, for those in the know, is one of those dudes who scrambles around behind the scenes making the awesomeness happen. Along with his partner Scott Wetterschneider, together they are Bigshot Toyworks. Imagine a guy who looks like Jack Black and a guy who looks like Scott Ian from Anthrax forming a massive Voltron-ish robot with top-notch manufacturing capabilities, and you begin to get the idea. Bigshot Toyworks is fifteen ninjas with a robot army behind them. From concept to design to production, Bigshot Toyworks is responsible for some of the most jaw-dropping figures you've ever seen. Bertie The Pipebomb, anyone? So I harassed them and got them to step out of the shadows for a minute to tell us more about who they are and what they do.

Klim:My background is in industrial design, traditional model making and toy development. I've been inventing and designing toy toys for years and can jam more fun and play value into a toy than almost anyone else. Because I understand the technical aspects of manufacturing so well, and have designed countless toys, I act as a liaison between our creative partners and the factory. I speak "factory" and "designer" fluently. I manage all the projects at Bigshot Toyworks, handle some of the design duties on various Toy projects and direct the other designers and team members in order to maintain a consistent level of quality and detail that we are known for.

Scott: I am an artist with a background in video game production. I've been producing video games and managing art staff for just as long as Klim has been designing toys. My experience modeling, animating, painting, and designing of characters, creatures, sets, and vehicles for games has carried over into toy design. I sculpt and render much of the work Bigshot Toyworks produces, e.g. Bertie the Pipebomb, DJ Shadow's Jukebot, Gary Taxali's OH NO and OH OH figures, Nathan J's Scary Girl. I also manage and direct the other artists in our network.

So let's do the math: 2 amazing artists + 2 manufacturing ninjas = this:

Recently, more artists have begun producing small multiples of dimensional pieces for their gallery shows. Bronze sculptures from Gary Taxali, fabric lanterns from Gary Baseman...more and more, artists are beginning to embrace the idea of extending their work into new mediums for the sake of an installation, and pushing the boundaries beyond the usual gallery multiples.

JC: I know that I will do more sculptural pieces in the future. I'd like to do some bronze sculptures at some point. I am also working on 2 other vinyl production pieces that I can't really talk about right now, but they will be really cool too. At least me and some others think so...ha ha!

Chris:I know that I want to delve more into the dimensional work than painting in the near future, but I also have some ideas to let loose even more with the paintings...I'll probably do both. I have 4 production pieces in the works as we speak, all in different levels of completion, all with different companies. Some of the stuff will be resin, some vinyl. I ultimately want to produce very limited runs of figures made of natural materials...like poop.

Scott: Our specialty is staying true to a designer's vision, and doing everything we can not to dilute it while producing and manufacturing multiple pieces. If Chris wants poop, we'll find a way to make it happen.

Klim: I smell a limited edition exclusive for someone.

Chris: Oh, I think everyone's gonna smell it.

And really, what more can possibly be said?

"Gardens of Misfortune" opens at the Yves Laroche Galerie d'art in Montreal on July 29th, 2009. Both artists will be in attendance to discuss their new works and release their collaborative resin statue.

For more information about the show, please visit http://www.yveslaroche.com
For more information about Bigshot Toyworks, please visit http://www.bigshottoyworks.com.
To stay up-to-date on the works of Chris Ryniak, please visit http://eatthefuture.blogspot.com.
To stay up-do-date on the works of Jonathan Bergeron, please visit http://johnnycrap.blogspot.com.