From the founders of Solid Toys comes Sin.Ta Gallery, we look into the art and creative space all about celebrating the fast-growing world of art toys.
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When you think of toys, what usually comes to mind are the ones you can buy in department stores. But a small yet growing subset of the toy world is changing what it means to be a toy collector. And that is seen in the rise of art toys, designer collectibles, and other high-valued figures. These toys aren’t the ones the kids and kids at heart play with. Instead, they are collector items custom-made by artisans that often can sell for tens of thousands of pesos.
Some local artists, such as Quiccs, have made a name for themselves in this space. Even celebrities like Heart Evangelista have entered the art toys space with her first collection selling in the six-figure range. Art toys are definitely on the rise, and this is what Sin.Ta gallery is all about.
FOR THE LOVE OF ART TOYS
Sin.Ta gallery, which is a mix of the Filipino words sining and tanghalan, marries the world of toys and art. Located at the Collective Base Complex in Basement 2 in Greenhills, the space combines the concept of a toy store (some of the items on display are for sale) and an art gallery for a gallery that’s wholly unique. Solid Toys founders Patrick Reyes, Jessie James Jocson, and Pau Lontoc are the brains behind the country’s first-ever gallery dedicated to art toys. These young collectible aficionados wanted to expand their love of art toys and its growing space in the Philippines into something that can spotlight young designers and the craft and thus, the gallery was born.
It opened its doors just this past November 26 and for its first collection, the gallery appropriately looked back to the root purpose of toys and what it means to play with Laro Tayo.
The collection, which runs until December 26, harkens to a time when smartphones and social media weren’t the go-to for the youth. Here, it focuses on classic childhood street games. Sin.Ta worked with Singaporean-based Filipino artists Carlo Andrada Cacho (Wetworks) and Valerie Villafor (Valvee) to bring the collection to life with the result being a stunning display of nostalgic art toys and paintings.
NYLON Manila recently had the chance to speak with the founders of the gallery where they opened up about championing the craft, the future of the gallery, and more. Read on below for the full interview.
What was the inspiration behind Sin.Ta Art Gallery?
We wanted to be an avenue for the growth of the Filipino art toy scene, as well as the growth of local artists. Our name is actually a word play of two Filipino words, namely sining and tanghalan, which means art and exhibit/display respectively. Our goal is to be the first art gallery that is primarily focused on art toys and to showcase different local artists and their love for their craft.
Talk to us about Laro Tayo, which serves as the gallery’s first show.
This show was in collaboration with one of our main artists, Wetworks. We have been working with him for a few years already and it just made sense that he was to be part of our first show. He then brought in VALVEE, another promising Filipino artist who is also based in Singapore.
What other kinds of shows can we expect to see from Sin.Ta?
A handful of Filipino art toy artists have already reached out to us, so expect new shows next year!
Out of all the things you could have done, why set up an art gallery?
The goal of Solid Toys from the beginning was to support local artists. This was already in the long term plans of the company since it was created.
What can people expect when they visit Sin.Ta?
They can expect to see art that is expressed not only in traditional media such as paintings, but also art toys. A lot of Filipinos are not yet familiar with this type of art, so we are hoping that this is a good introduction to this scene.
What do you hope for Sin.Ta Gallery to become in the coming months and years?
We want to be the go-to gallery for artists to have their solo shows and to see the growth of the artist/s and the art toy scene.
How would you describe the world of art, high-end, and luxury toys to someone not familiar with it?
It is an entirely different approach to art. Art toys are an expression of the artist’s creativity, personality, and emotions on a three dimensional figure.
Do you have dream artists or collaborators that you would love to work with for the gallery?
We do not have any artists in mind yet, but one of our goals includes working with different organizations and schools to help aspiring artists from grassroots levels.
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