Killer Zliks from MPH
When Andrew Bell, mastermind behind Creatures In My Head, created the Zlik the last thing he wanted was to make it a platform toy. But here we are, less than a year after the a launch of these worm-alien-creatures, and Bell is curating a show featuring a slew of up and coming pop-brow artists offering their take on Bell’s googly-eyed creature. Everyone in the show clearly put their heart into these 19-inch Zliks. The Zlik doesn’t look like the easiest platform to be creative with—Hell, it looks like a worm (not that that’s a bad thing). So I was very curious to see how each artist adapted his or her style to the mammoth blank Zlik. No one failed to impress.
Squidboy ditched his stickers and turned his Zlik into a dreamy world of fluffy clouds amidst an orange sky with his signature otherworldly landscape. Scott Radke proved once again that creepy can definitely be cool. Too bad his Zlik wasn’t tethered to strings like his marionettes. Kathie Olivas plastered a one of her Misery Children onto the chest and into the soul of her Zlik. Others simply covered the eyes and turned the torso into a canvas, portraying monsters, birds, or children. The highlight of the show belonged to the king of all steam punks—Dok A, who turned his Zlik into a metal contraption, aged to perfection, and sporting its own mini-Zlik.
This show is not to be missed. Prices range from $600 up to a few grand, but we are talking about a piece of art that’s taller than a small child. Artists featured are Alayna Magnan, Andrew Bell, Brandt Peters, Brian Taylor, Cameron Tiede, Chris Ryniak, Doktor A, Evil Ice Cream, Guy McKinley, Jesse Hernandez, Jester, Julie West, Kathie Olivas, Kelly Denato, Krista Huot, Luke Feldman, Phallic Mammary, Phetus, Scott Radke, Shawnimal, and Squidboy. The show kicks off on April 20 and is located at 210 Forsyth St., New York, NY 10002.
