Amrit Pal Singh pays tribute to art legends who have inspired his artistic sensibilities and explores the future of digital art, says Neha Kirpal
The Toy Face Tour’ by visual artist, 3D illustrator and art director Amrit Pal Singh showcases a physical toy room made to human collection of 7 new Toy Faces, and a presentation of the artist’s previous Toy Faces. Singh’s lovable toy faces are a celebration of a whimsical childhood that transcends age and persists through adulthood. This exhibition includes seven new Toy Faces featuring absolute art legends like M.F. Husain, Dali, Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama and more. And also brings a virtual world to reality by enabling visitors to enter a digital toy room for the first time ever. Presented by Method & Hefty. Art, the exhibition, which recently concluded at Stir, DLF Chattarpur Farms, Delhi, will head next to Method Kala Ghoda, Mumbai from June 8 to June 25 and Church Street Social, Bengaluru from July 7 to July 23.
In this exclusive interview, Amrit Pal Singh talks to us among other things about infusing 1990s nostalgia into the exhibition, paying tribute to art legends who have inspired his artistic sensibilities over the years, and the future of digital art.
Tell us about the idea behind your first solo exhibition, a physical 3D toy room made to human collection.
It’s probably every artist’s dream to have a solo exhibition, so it was mine too. I’ve accomplished a lot so far, and shown my work in many groups shows in galleries across continents. But that one thing I hadn’t done was a solo exhibition. Sahil Arora from Method Kala Ghoda and I started speaking about this more than a year ago, and how to make it possible. He asked me what my ideal solo show would be, and I told him to make a physical 3D Toy Room. We decided to go for it.
In addition to the physical room, I made seven new Toy Faces, those of iconic artists throughout history, all of which are also a part of the Toy Room. Since these seven would push me over the 100th NFT mark, we thought we would further commemorate the occasion by displaying some of my favourites from the Toy Face collection.
We decided if we were going to do something on that scale, then why limit it to just showing it in Mumbai (where Method is located)? Instead, we found a way to bring it to three cities: Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. Hefty. art joined us in this endeavour, and things went from there.
The exhibition allows visitors to enter a digital toy room for the first time ever. Tell us more about putting this together, and how it is different.
Well, for starters it is the first time I have ever made furniture! That in itself is a big change. I am a 3D artist and I specialise in graphics and brandings, so the whole aspect of production to build something physical was different. It takes time, renditions and experimentation. Getting it right still relies heavily on the digital mock up, but there are offline aspects that you can’t take into consideration until it happens. I learned about fabric and materials. There was a whole new type of problem solving involved. But this was something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, and finally making a digital Toy Room come to life offline has been magical.
There’s also a new aspect of joy as I see people interact with the furniture and objects within the physical room in a way they can’t in a digital room. All of the furniture and objects are for sale, and I do hope that people take this joy home with them to experience on a daily basis.
Tell us about the 7 new toy faces as well as the previous toy faces in the collection, covering inspiring persons from the fields of music, technology and 1990s web culture.
In order to tell you about the seven new ones, I should tell you about the first, which was Frida Kahlo. That’s where it all started, with one iconic artist who changed the world. From there, I delved into various people or characters, some of them real—like Daft Punk—and others my own imagination—like Candy Toy Face. I basically made Toy Faces of people or movements that resonated with me.
But for the 7 new Toy Faces, I wanted to return to where I started—with the artists. I wanted to pay homage to these individuals who were not just integral to the art world, but to society as a whole. These were revolutionaries each in their own way, and they pushed things in a new direction.
The toy faces include art legends like M.F. Husain, Dali, Andy Warhol, Amrita Sher-Gil, Salvador Dali and more. How have they, and others, inspired your artistic sensibilities and journey over the years?
So much. I think most of all, their courage. I think people underestimate the courage it takes to pursue something so out of the box as art. I mean, we all know that a lot of artists don’t even see success in their own lifetimes. But they kept pushing and making and creating. They experimented. It’s not even necessarily just about the art that they made, but their essence and what they infused into society. We owe a lot to artists because they undeniably make the world a more interesting place.
How have you infused nostalgia from your personal life, particularly in the 1990s, in this exhibition?
My whole thought process behind the Toy Room was to make my own dream Art Collector’s Room. For me, that doesn’t mean a stuffy, high-brow place. It means something young, vibrant and full of colour. Something magical, whimsical and that ushers in a special kind of feeling. I’m a 1990s kid, so for me, that whole feeling of youthfulness and nostalgia are rooted in that – bright colours, a globe of possibility. The same thing goes for the Toy Faces. I made them for the simple reason that I like toys, and I most actively played with toys in the 1990s, so that shape and style was my point of reference.
For the exhibition, you officially collaborated with the MF Husain Estate. Tell our readers more about this.
This was a wonderful opportunity and I am so excited to have seen it come to fruition. When I started working with Method to make the Toy Face Tour a reality, we knew that an official collaboration was something that would make the whole experience that much more special. Thanks to Hefty.art, we were able to work with the Estate to make that happen. Having an official collaboration with the estate of the country’s most established artist of all time brings added value of course, and it is something that I will never forget. Knowing that they have participated in my portrait of Husain – wow! And for me, it was really quite personal because I actually remember when M. F. Husain came to my school and talked to us about art. That experience had such a profound impact on my life, even if I didn’t fully realize it at the time.
You recently dropped your 100th NFT. Tell us more about this.
It’s been a ride! I mean, I started dropping NFTs at the beginning, and never did I ever think I would be here. I have been very fortunate to have found the right community in the NFT world, and to build a series that resonates with so many people across the globe. My collectors are my friends and mentors, and that’s something very special to me.
I will say, I didn’t make the Toy Faces because I wanted to make an NFT, per se. I wasn’t looking for a “hook”. I made them for what they are—cute toys that conjure up nostalgia and happiness in pretty much anyone. In that passion of making something that was quintessential to who I am and the world I want to live in, I was able to also find success.
What has been the response you have received to the exhibition so far?
Amazing! On the opening night, hundreds of people came to Stir. We did some great collaborations with Boxout.fm who put together a wonderful line up of music, and that night was just a fantastic way to kick off this entire tour. The response has been so great, we actually extended the Delhi leg of thetour by a week.
For me, it’s been really special to see people interact with the Toy Faces and the Toy Room. Everyone finds their favourite Toy Face. For some, it’s Medusa and others it’s David Bowie. There is literally something for everyone. This is also the first time I’ve made limited edition prints of the Toy Faces available, so people are able to take home the ones they love. I’ve minted seven new NFTs, three of which sold on the first day. The M. F. Husain sale even hit some of the biggest international NFT news. I feel proud and humble to bring that kind of spotlight to India.
What do you feel about art of the future, with new mediums such as digital art and NFTs?
This is really a big question, but the answer is quite simple: it’s limitless. Technology is bringing so much into the picture, and I don’t think the majority of us can really even begin to fathom what the future holds in store. Things are changing at a rapid pace, and the best advice I have for artists is to embrace it. There are new mediums popping up every day and AI is improving every minute. We have so much opportunity—we just have to figure out how to harness it to make the art—and art world—that we want.
What are you working on next?
Right now, I’m focusing on the tour. We will be at Method in Mumbai in June, and then in Bengaluru in July. If this goes well, there is scope to take the tour to even more cities within India, or perhaps abroad. Aside from that, I have a commercial art practice where I’ve been able to collaborate with many brands on very interesting projects. I am always looking for new things to work on that inspire me.
