Toy Photography

R2DR - STAR WARS Exhibition Poster from series "The Toys" A retrospective on 80's and 90's pop culture by pop artists "Destro" Original offset lithograph poster printed on acid-free...

Christian Rothmann ROBOTNICS Series C-Print 2019 Edition S (Edition of 10) 12 x 8.3 inches (30.5 x 21 cm) Signed, dated and numbered verso Other Edition Sizes available: - Edition M (Edition of 6) 35.4 x 23.6 inches (90 x 60 cm) - Edition L (Edition of 6) 47.2 x 31.5 inches (120 x 80 cm) - Edition XL (Edition of 3) 88.8 x 58.8 inches (225 x 150 cm) PUR - Price Upon Request -------------- Since 1979 Christian Rothmann had more than 40 solo and 80 group exhibitions worldwide. Christian Rothmann had guest lectures, residencies, art fairs and biennials in Europe, Japan, USA, Australia and Korea. Christian Rothmann (born 1954 in Kędzierzyn, Poland ) is a painter, photographer, and graphic artist.⁠ ⁠ In 1976 he first studied at the “Hochschule für Gestaltung” in Offenbach, Germany and moved to Berlin in 1977, where he graduated in 1983 at the “Hochschule der Künste”. From 1983 to 1995 he taught at the university as a lecturer and as an artist with a focus on screenprinting and American art history. To date, a versatile body of work has been created, which includes not only paintings but also long-standing photo projects, videos, and public art.⁠ ⁠ Guest lectures, teaching assignments, scholarships and exhibitions regularly lead Rothmann to travel home and abroad.⁠ ------------------------ Rothmann's Robots These creatures date back to another era, and they connect the past and the future. They were found by Christian Rothmann, a Berlin artist, collector and traveler through time and the world: In shops in Germany and Japan, Israel and America, his keen eye picks out objects cast aside by previous generations, but which lend themselves to his own work. In a similar way, he came across a stash of historic toy robots of varied provenance collected by a Berlin gallery owner many years ago. Most of them were screwed and riveted together in the 1960s and 70s by Metal House, a Japanese company that still exists today. In systematically photographing these humanoids made of tin - and later plastic - Rothmann is paraphrasing the idea of appropriation art. Unknown names designed and made the toys, which some five decades on, Rothmann depicts and emblematizes in his extensive photo sequence. In their photographs of Selim Varol's vast toy collection, his German colleagues Daniel and Geo Fuchs captured both the stereotypical and individual in plastic figures that imitate superheroes which were and still are generally manufactured somewhere in Asia. Christian Rothmann looks his robots deep in their artificially stylized, painted or corrugated eyes - or more aptly, their eye slits - and although each has a certain degree of individuality, the little figures remain unknown to us; they project nothing and are not alter egos. Rothmann trains his lens on their faces and expressions, and thus, his portraits are born. Up extremely close, dust, dents, and rust become visible. In other words, what we see is time-traces of time that has passed since the figures were made, or during their period in a Berlin attic, and - considering that he robots date back to Rothmann's childhood - time lived by the photographer and recipients of his pictures. But unlike dolls, these mechanical robots bear no reference to the ideal of beauty at the time of their manufacture, and their features are in no way modeled on a concrete child's face. In this art project the robots appear as figures without a context, photographed face-on, cropped in front of a neutral background and reduced to their qualities of form. But beyond the reproduction and documentation a game with surfaces is going on; our view lingers on the outer skin of the object, or on the layer over it. The inside - which can be found beneath - is to an extent metaphysical, occurring inside the observer's mind. Only rarely is there anything to see behind the robot's helmet. When an occasional human face does peer out, it turns the figure into a robot-like protective casing for an astronaut of the future. If we really stop and think about modern toys, let's say those produced from the mid 20th century, when Disney and Marvel films were already stimulating a massive appetite for merchandising, the question must be: do such fantasy and hybrid creatures belong, does something like artificial intelligence already belong to the broader community of humans and animals? It is already a decade or two since the wave of Tamagotchis washed in from Japan, moved children to feed and entertain their newly born electronic chicks in the way they would a real pet, or to run the risk of seeing them die. It was a new form of artificial life, but the relationship between people and machines becomes problematic when the machines or humanoid robots have excellent fine motor skills and artificial intelligence and sensitivity on a par with, or even greater than that of humans. Luckily we have not reached that point yet, even if Hollywood adaptations would have us believe we are not far away. Rothmann's robots are initially sweet toys, and each toy is known to have a different effect on children and adults. They are conceived by (adult) designers as a means of translating or retelling history or reality through miniature animals, knights, and soldiers. In the case of monsters, mythical creatures, and robots, it is more about creating visions of the future and parallel worlds. Certainly, since the success of fantasy books and films such as Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit, we see the potential for vast enthusiasm for such parallel worlds. Successful computer and online games such as World of Warcraft, or the creation of avatars are also interesting worldwide phenomena of virtual realities that are not only relevant for children and teens. So when a middle-aged Berlin photographic artist (like Christian Rothmann) chooses to study 120 toy robots with great difference in form, it represents a journey back to his own childhood - even if at the time, he played with a steam engine rather than a robot. Once batteries had been inserted, some of the largely male or gender-neutral robots, could flash, shoot, turn around and even do more complicated things. Some can even still do it today - albeit clumsily. This, of course, can only be seen on film, but the artist intends to document that as well; to feature the robots in filmic works of art. The positioning of the figures in the studio is the same as the tableau of pictures in the exhibition room. In this way, one could say Rothmann deploys one robot after the other. This systematic approach enables a comparative view; the extreme enlargement of what are actually small and manageable figures is like the macro vision of insects whose fascinating, sometimes monster-like appearance only becomes visible when they are blown up a hundredfold. The same thing goes for the robots; in miniature form, they seem harmless and cute, but if they were larger than humans and made noises to match, they would seem more threatening. Some of the tin figures...

Nick Cave Soundsuit #6 Year: 2010 Archival Pigment Print on Premium Rag Size: 17 x 12 in. Edition: 200 Signed by hand on label COA provided Ref.: 924802-2069 Tags: #NickCave #Missou...

New Model Army is a perfect pop art compilation of your favourite childhood toy. Blown up and brought to life, this artwork sparks your imagination just as ...

Heidler & Heeps Vinyl Collection Set of Three Framed Artworks. Acclaimed contemporary photographers, Richard Heeps and Natasha Heidler have collaborated to make this beautifully mesm...

Oldsmobile and Sinful Barbie's, from Richard Heeps' 'Man's Ruin' Series. This artwork is part of a sequence capturing Wendy at the Rockabilly Weekender, Viva Las Vegas, these Barbie'...

Untitled VI, 2022 by Salvatore Arnone From the Balance series Photographic print on paper Image size: 50 in. H x 35 in. W Edition of 3 + 1AP Unframed With Balance the artist starts ...

This piece titled "This Is Not A Composite" is an original artwork by PJ Linden and is made from digital photography, pigment print on archival paper, and framed with glass. This pie...

Created by Cindy Sherman in 1990, Mrs. Claus is an original chromogenic print that is hand-signed and dated on the verso from an edition of 125, measuring 14 x 11 in. (36 x 28 cm), u...

Christian Rothmann ROBOTNICS Series C-Print 2019 Edition S (Edition of 10) 12 x 8.3 inches (30.5 x 21 cm) Signed, dated and numbered verso Other Edition Sizes available: - Edition ...

Christian Rothmann ROBOTNICS Series C-Print 2019 Edition S (Edition of 10) 12 x 8.3 inches (30.5 x 21 cm) Signed, dated and numbered verso Other Edition Sizes available: - Edition M (Edition of 6) 35.4 x 23.6 inches (90 x 60 cm) - Edition L (Edition of 6) 47.2 x 31.5 inches (120 x 80 cm) - Edition XL (Edition of 3) 88.8 x 58.8 inches (225 x 150 cm) PUR - Price Upon Request -------------- Since 1979 Christian Rothmann had more than 40 solo and 80 group exhibitions worldwide. Christian Rothmann had guest lectures, residencies, art fairs and biennials in Europe, Japan, USA, Australia and Korea. Christian Rothmann (born 1954 in Kędzierzyn, Poland ) is a painter, photographer, and graphic artist.⁠ ⁠ In 1976 he first studied at the “Hochschule für Gestaltung” in Offenbach, Germany and moved to Berlin in 1977, where he graduated in 1983 at the “Hochschule der Künste”. From 1983 to 1995 he taught at the university as a lecturer and as an artist with a focus on screenprinting and American art history. To date, a versatile body of work has been created, which includes not only paintings but also long-standing photo projects, videos, and public art.⁠ ⁠ Guest lectures, teaching assignments, scholarships and exhibitions regularly lead Rothmann to travel home and abroad.⁠ ------------------------ Rothmann's Robots These creatures date back to another era, and they connect the past and the future. They were found by Christian Rothmann, a Berlin artist, collector and traveler through time and the world: In shops in Germany and Japan, Israel and America, his keen eye picks out objects cast aside by previous generations, but which lend themselves to his own work. In a similar way, he came across a stash of historic toy robots of varied provenance collected by a Berlin gallery owner many years ago. Most of them were screwed and riveted together in the 1960s and 70s by Metal House, a Japanese company that still exists today. In systematically photographing these humanoids made of tin - and later plastic - Rothmann is paraphrasing the idea of appropriation art. Unknown names designed and made the toys, which some five decades on, Rothmann depicts and emblematizes in his extensive photo sequence. In their photographs of Selim Varol's vast toy collection, his German colleagues Daniel and Geo Fuchs captured both the stereotypical and individual in plastic figures that imitate superheroes which were and still are generally manufactured somewhere in Asia. Christian Rothmann looks his robots deep in their artificially stylized, painted or corrugated eyes - or more aptly, their eye slits - and although each has a certain degree of individuality, the little figures remain unknown to us; they project nothing and are not alter egos. Rothmann trains his lens on their faces and expressions, and thus, his portraits are born. Up extremely close, dust, dents, and rust become visible. In other words, what we see is time-traces of time that has passed since the figures were made, or during their period in a Berlin attic, and - considering that he robots date back to Rothmann's childhood - time lived by the photographer and recipients of his pictures. But unlike dolls, these mechanical robots bear no reference to the ideal of beauty at the time of their manufacture, and their features are in no way modeled on a concrete child's face. In this art project the robots appear as figures without a context, photographed face-on, cropped in front of a neutral background and reduced to their qualities of form. But beyond the reproduction and documentation a game with surfaces is going on; our view lingers on the outer skin of the object, or on the layer over it. The inside - which can be found beneath - is to an extent metaphysical, occurring inside the observer's mind. Only rarely is there anything to see behind the robot's helmet. When an occasional human face does peer out, it turns the figure into a robot-like protective casing for an astronaut of the future. If we really stop and think about modern toys, let's say those produced from the mid 20th century, when Disney and Marvel films were already stimulating a massive appetite for merchandising, the question must be: do such fantasy and hybrid creatures belong, does something like artificial intelligence already belong to the broader community of humans and animals? It is already a decade or two since the wave of Tamagotchis washed in from Japan, moved children to feed and entertain their newly born electronic chicks in the way they would a real pet, or to run the risk of seeing them die. It was a new form of artificial life, but the relationship between people and machines becomes problematic when the machines or humanoid robots have excellent fine motor skills and artificial intelligence and sensitivity on a par with, or even greater than that of humans. Luckily we have not reached that point yet, even if Hollywood adaptations would have us believe we are not far away. Rothmann's robots are initially sweet toys, and each toy is known to have a different effect on children and adults. They are conceived by (adult) designers as a means of translating or retelling history or reality through miniature animals, knights, and soldiers. In the case of monsters, mythical creatures, and robots, it is more about creating visions of the future and parallel worlds. Certainly, since the success of fantasy books and films such as Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit, we see the potential for vast enthusiasm for such parallel worlds. Successful computer and online games such as World of Warcraft...

Christian Rothmann ROBOTNICS Series C-Print 2019 Edition S (Edition of 10) 12 x 8.3 inches (30.5 x 21 cm) Signed, dated and numbered verso Other Edition Sizes available: - Edition ...

"Kissing Eden" Nude Figurative Photography 30" x 24" in Ed. 1/7 by Aaron Mcpolin Medium: Archival Giclee Print Available sizes: Edition of 15 20 x 16 inch Edition of 7 30 x 24 inch...

I have always been a storyteller, and the world around us is full of stories waiting to be told. My journey began with painting, then transitioned into set and environment design for...

Part of Richard Heeps 'Dream in Colour' Series, this cool Palm Springs interiors picture featuring a vintage telephone on a nightstand combines gorgeous colours and dreamy nostalgic ...

Acclaimed contemporary photographers, Richard Heeps and Natasha Heidler have collaborated to make this beautifully mesmerising collection. A celebration of the vinyl record and analo...

'Stay On Target!' By BATIK Archival pigment pop art print of a Star Wars TIE fighter chasing actor Cary Grant from the infamous scene in Hitchcock’s North By North West BATIK is a London based fine artist and image maker. Certificate of authenticity supplied Paper size 60x40 inches / 152 x 101 cm unframed signed and numbered on front edition of 3 only this size OTHER Sizes available (in inches): Edition sizes vary with the chosen paper size Classical 12x16 (Edition of 50) Luxe 20x16 (Edition of 35) Longe 30x20 (Edition of 25) Grande XL 40x30 (Edition of 10) Giant 60x40 (Edition of 3) FRAMING: Please note that this piece is unframed – however, we offer a full framing service. If you would like this piece framed, please contact us for a quote. Black and white, running, blur, motion, shadow, texture, grain, Star Wars, TIE fighter, chasing, man, males, photography, pop art andy warhol hitchcock

Acclaimed contemporary photographers, Richard Heeps and Natasha Heidler have collaborated to make this beautifully mesmerising collection. A celebration of the vinyl record and analogue technology, which reflects the artists practice within photography. This record features an orange Motorhead Record. The unique artist's process creates a negative so the writing in the centre is in reverse. This is a particularly unique piece in the collection with an orange background. This artwork is a limited edition of 25, gloss photographic print, dry-mounted to aluminium, presented in a 25mm museum board white window mount and a box frame made professionally in the UK. Client may choose the frame colour of Black or White. Acclaimed contemporary photographers, Richard Heeps and Natasha Heidler have collaborated to make this beautifully mesmerising collection. A celebration of the vinyl record and analogue technology, which reflects the artists practice within photography. This record features a textured lime green vintage...

Christian Rothmann ROBOTNICS Series C-Print 2019 Edition S (Edition of 10) 12 x 8.3 inches (30.5 x 21 cm) Signed, dated and numbered verso Other Edition Sizes available: - Edition ...

ABOUT THIS ARTIST: Photographer Dewey Nicks was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Nicks studied photography at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. He has been a professional fas...

ABOUT THIS ARTIST: Photographer Dewey Nicks was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Nicks studied photography at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. He has been a professional fas...

Dressed to the nines! This wonderful portrait of Ken treats the doll with the same sensitivity as a human subject - and in doing so, sheds light on the interior lives of the doll. As...

“I’m continuously creating imagery that questions our perceptions and our ingrained desire to observe the forbidden, to find beauty where we shouldn’t and to glamorize violence.” - M...

This is a pop art photo print of an original Han Solo toy from Kenner. "The Toys" by LA based Pop Artists DESTRO. This is the first release in the much antic...

Blond girls, Nude and scantily clad feminine figures, and ballerina dancers, with delicate, refined fingers and toes, are captured in idealized poses with soft pastel colors. In the most graceful pose, a beautiful blue-eyed blonde girl is captured on her tiptoes with outstretched arms. Signed, dated and numbered 3/15 recto, unframed, printed later, another size available- printed later - Printed on Hahnemühle Fine Art paper - There is an intentional light grain to the film. Robert Funk is a pioneer of toy photography, doll photography...

Edition 10 Also available in 40 x 50 cm / 16 x 20 inch, Edition 25 Black and white portrait of Supermodel Iman, wife of David Bowie. From personality portraits and advertising cam...

"The Tipping Point #3 (Crystal/Michael)" is an original artwork by Anna Tas made of an archival pigment print with lenticular lens. The piece is lenticular––transitioning and creatin...

"The Tipping Point #1 (Simon/Ruth)" is an original artwork by Anna Tas made of an archival pigment print with lenticular lens. The piece is lenticular––transitioning and creating the...

Acclaimed contemporary photographers, Richard Heeps and Natasha Heidler have collaborated to make this beautifully mesmerising collection. A celebration of the vinyl record and analogue technology, which reflects the artists practice within photography. This record features a muted tone blue Joy Division flexi-disc vintage...

Heidler & Heeps Vinyl Collection. Acclaimed contemporary photographers, Richard Heeps and Natasha Heidler have collaborated to make this beautifully mesmerising collection. A bold mu...

American Girl, part of Richard Heeps street photography collection, capturing city's raw history before they change in the face of development. The picture is classic of his style of...

Larry Moss has created his amazing air-filled art called “airigami” in 12 countries on four continents. Moss's work with latex balloons makes great art accessible to kids in a fun e...

Christian Rothmann ROBOTNICS Series C-Print 2019 Edition S (Edition of 10) 12 x 8.3 inches (30.5 x 21 cm) Signed, dated and numbered verso Other Edition Sizes available: - Edition M (Edition of 6) 35.4 x 23.6 inches (90 x 60 cm) - Edition L (Edition of 6) 47.2 x 31.5 inches (120 x 80 cm) - Edition XL (Edition of 3) 88.8 x 58.8 inches (225 x 150 cm) PUR - Price Upon Request -------------- Since 1979 Christian Rothmann had more than 40 solo and 80 group exhibitions worldwide. Christian Rothmann had guest lectures, residencies, art fairs and biennials in Europe, Japan, USA, Australia and Korea. Christian Rothmann (born 1954 in Kędzierzyn, Poland ) is a painter, photographer, and graphic artist.⁠ ⁠ In 1976 he first studied at the “Hochschule für Gestaltung” in Offenbach, Germany and moved to Berlin in 1977, where he graduated in 1983 at the “Hochschule der Künste”. From 1983 to 1995 he taught at the university as a lecturer and as an artist with a focus on screenprinting and American art history. To date, a versatile body of work has been created, which includes not only paintings but also long-standing photo projects, videos, and public art.⁠ ⁠ Guest lectures, teaching assignments, scholarships and exhibitions regularly lead Rothmann to travel home and abroad.⁠ ------------------------ Rothmann's Robots These creatures date back to another era, and they connect the past and the future. They were found by Christian Rothmann, a Berlin artist, collector and traveler through time and the world: In shops in Germany and Japan, Israel and America, his keen eye picks out objects cast aside by previous generations, but which lend themselves to his own work. In a similar way, he came across a stash of historic toy robots of varied provenance collected by a Berlin gallery owner many years ago. Most of them were screwed and riveted together in the 1960s and 70s by Metal House, a Japanese company that still exists today. In systematically photographing these humanoids made of tin - and later plastic - Rothmann is paraphrasing the idea of appropriation art. Unknown names designed and made the toys, which some five decades on, Rothmann depicts and emblematizes in his extensive photo sequence. In their photographs of Selim Varol's vast toy collection, his German colleagues Daniel and Geo Fuchs captured both the stereotypical and individual in plastic figures that imitate superheroes which were and still are generally manufactured somewhere in Asia. Christian Rothmann looks his robots deep in their artificially stylized, painted or corrugated eyes - or more aptly, their eye slits - and although each has a certain degree of individuality, the little figures remain unknown to us; they project nothing and are not alter egos. Rothmann trains his lens on their faces and expressions, and thus, his portraits are born. Up extremely close, dust, dents, and rust become visible. In other words, what we see is time-traces of time that has passed since the figures were made, or during their period in a Berlin attic, and - considering that he robots date back to Rothmann's childhood - time lived by the photographer and recipients of his pictures. But unlike dolls, these mechanical robots bear no reference to the ideal of beauty at the time of their manufacture, and their features are in no way modeled on a concrete child's face. In this art project the robots appear as figures without a context, photographed face-on, cropped in front of a neutral background and reduced to their qualities of form. But beyond the reproduction and documentation a game with surfaces is going on; our view lingers on the outer skin of the object, or on the layer over it. The inside - which can be found beneath - is to an extent metaphysical, occurring inside the observer's mind. Only rarely is there anything to see behind the robot's helmet. When an occasional human face does peer out, it turns the figure into a robot-like protective casing for an astronaut of the future. If we really stop and think about modern toys, let's say those produced from the mid 20th century, when Disney and Marvel films were already stimulating a massive appetite for merchandising, the question must be: do such fantasy and hybrid creatures belong, does something like artificial intelligence already belong to the broader community of humans and animals? It is already a decade or two since the wave of Tamagotchis washed in from Japan, moved children to feed and entertain their newly born electronic chicks in the way they would a real pet, or to run the risk of seeing them die. It was a new form of artificial life, but the relationship between people and machines becomes problematic when the machines or humanoid robots have excellent fine motor skills and artificial intelligence and sensitivity on a par with, or even greater than that of humans. Luckily we have not reached that point yet, even if Hollywood adaptations would have us believe we are not far away. Rothmann's robots are initially sweet toys, and each toy is known to have a different effect on children and adults. They are conceived by (adult) designers as a means of translating or retelling history or reality through miniature animals, knights, and soldiers. In the case of monsters, mythical creatures, and robots, it is more about creating visions of the future and parallel worlds. Certainly, since the success of fantasy books and films such as Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit, we see the potential for vast enthusiasm for such parallel worlds. Successful computer and online games such as World of Warcraft...

Christian Rothmann ROBOTNICS Series C-Print 2019 Edition S (Edition of 10) 12 x 8.3 inches (30.5 x 21 cm) Signed, dated and numbered verso Other Edition Sizes available: - Edition ...

Part of Richard Heeps 'Man's Ruin' Series, and the sequence of artworks 'Wendy Flamin' Eyeball', 'Wendy Resting' & 'Oldsmobile and Sinful Barbie's' shot at the Rockabilly Weekender, ...

This is a pop art photo print of the original Luke Skywalker toy from Kenner. "The Toys" by LA based Pop Artists DESTRO. This is the first release in the much anticipated series "Th...

Part of Richard Heeps 'Man's Ruin' Series, and the sequence of artworks 'Wendy Flamin' Eyeball', 'Wendy Resting' & 'Oldsmobile and Sinful Barbie's' shot at the Rockabilly Weekender, ...

Press Conference, from the Heidler & Heeps Vinyl Collection. Acclaimed contemporary photographers, Richard Heeps and Natasha Heidler have collaborated to m...

This is a pop art photo print of the original Luke Skywalker toy from Kenner. "The Toys" by LA based Pop Artists DESTRO. This is the first release in the much anticipated series "Th...

All Rights Reserved (Seafoam), from the Heidler & Heeps Vinyl Collection. Acclaimed contemporary photographers, Richard Heeps and Natasha Heidler have coll...

Other Side (Blue), from the Heidler & Heeps Vinyl Collection. Acclaimed contemporary photographers, Richard Heeps and Natasha Heidler have collaborated to ...

This is a pop art photo print of an original Han Solo toy from Kenner. "The Toys" by LA based Pop Artists DESTRO. This is the first release in the much antic...

Acclaimed contemporary photographers, Richard Heeps and Natasha Heidler have collaborated to make this beautifully mesmerising collection. A celebration of the vinyl record and analo...

Jose Sierra work is deeply influenced by themes of self-representation and a homoerotic gaze. Through his unique aesthetic, he creates abject staged environments that challenge tradi...

This is a pop art photo print of the original Luke Skywalker toy from Kenner. "The Toys" by LA based Pop Artists DESTRO. This is the first release in the much anticipated series "Th...

Acclaimed contemporary photographers, Richard Heeps and Natasha Heidler have collaborated to make this beautifully mesmerising collection. A celebration of the vinyl record and analo...

This is a pop art photo print of the original Luke Skywalker toy from Kenner. "The Toys" by LA based Pop Artists DESTRO. This is the first release in t...

This is a pop art photo print of the original Luke Skywalker toy from Kenner. "The Toys" by LA based Pop Artists DESTRO. This is the first release in t...

ABOUT THIS ARTIST: Liz Von Hoene is an award winning fashion photographer and director known for her immaculate concept driven images that strike the right balance between sophistica...

Part of Richard Heeps 'Dream in Colour' Series, this cool Palm Springs interiors picture combines gorgeous colours and dreamy nostalgic vintage mid-century style. This artwork is a...

This is a pop art photo print of the original Luke Skywalker toy from Kenner. "The Toys" by LA based Pop Artists DESTRO. This is the first release in t...

This is a pop art photo print of an original Han Solo toy from Kenner. "The Toys" by LA based Pop Artists DESTRO. This is the first release in the much antic...

This is a pop art photo print of the original Luke Skywalker toy from Kenner. "The Toys" by LA based Pop Artists DESTRO. This is the first release in t...

Acclaimed contemporary photographers, Richard Heeps and Natasha Heidler have collaborated to make this beautifully mesmerising collection. A celebration of the vinyl record and analo...

Richard captured the movie icon 'Creature from the Black Lagoon' when he was commissioned to document Preston Hall Museum in 2009 before...

In SHE TELLS ALL, Kaur engages questions of identity performance by exploring an ever-present and wildly diverse American identity: the modern American witch. Witches are contemporar...

Christian Rothmann ROBOTNICS Series C-Print 2019 Edition S (Edition of 10) 12 x 8.3 inches (30.5 x 21 cm) Signed, dated and numbered verso Other Edition Sizes available: - Edition M (Edition of 6) 35.4 x 23.6 inches (90 x 60 cm) - Edition L (Edition of 6) 47.2 x 31.5 inches (120 x 80 cm) - Edition XL (Edition of 3) 88.8 x 58.8 inches (225 x 150 cm) PUR - Price Upon Request -------------- Since 1979 Christian Rothmann had more than 40 solo and 80 group exhibitions worldwide. Christian Rothmann had guest lectures, residencies, art fairs and biennials in Europe, Japan, USA, Australia and Korea. Christian Rothmann (born 1954 in Kędzierzyn, Poland ) is a painter, photographer, and graphic artist.⁠ ⁠ In 1976 he first studied at the “Hochschule für Gestaltung” in Offenbach, Germany and moved to Berlin in 1977, where he graduated in 1983 at the “Hochschule der Künste”. From 1983 to 1995 he taught at the university as a lecturer and as an artist with a focus on screenprinting and American art history. To date, a versatile body of work has been created, which includes not only paintings but also long-standing photo projects, videos, and public art.⁠ ⁠ Guest lectures, teaching assignments, scholarships and exhibitions regularly lead Rothmann to travel home and abroad.⁠ ------------------------ Rothmann's Robots These creatures date back to another era, and they connect the past and the future. They were found by Christian Rothmann, a Berlin artist, collector and traveler through time and the world: In shops in Germany and Japan, Israel and America, his keen eye picks out objects cast aside by previous generations, but which lend themselves to his own work. In a similar way, he came across a stash of historic toy robots of varied provenance collected by a Berlin gallery owner many years ago. Most of them were screwed and riveted together in the 1960s and 70s by Metal House, a Japanese company that still exists today. In systematically photographing these humanoids made of tin - and later plastic - Rothmann is paraphrasing the idea of appropriation art. Unknown names designed and made the toys, which some five decades on, Rothmann depicts and emblematizes in his extensive photo sequence. In their photographs of Selim Varol's vast toy collection, his German colleagues Daniel and Geo Fuchs captured both the stereotypical and individual in plastic figures that imitate superheroes which were and still are generally manufactured somewhere in Asia. Christian Rothmann looks his robots deep in their artificially stylized, painted or corrugated eyes - or more aptly, their eye slits - and although each has a certain degree of individuality, the little figures remain unknown to us; they project nothing and are not alter egos. Rothmann trains his lens on their faces and expressions, and thus, his portraits are born. Up extremely close, dust, dents, and rust become visible. In other words, what we see is time-traces of time that has passed since the figures were made, or during their period in a Berlin attic, and - considering that he robots date back to Rothmann's childhood - time lived by the photographer and recipients of his pictures. But unlike dolls, these mechanical robots bear no reference to the ideal of beauty at the time of their manufacture, and their features are in no way modeled on a concrete child's face. In this art project the robots appear as figures without a context, photographed face-on, cropped in front of a neutral background and reduced to their qualities of form. But beyond the reproduction and documentation a game with surfaces is going on; our view lingers on the outer skin of the object, or on the layer over it. The inside - which can be found beneath - is to an extent metaphysical, occurring inside the observer's mind. Only rarely is there anything to see behind the robot's helmet. When an occasional human face does peer out, it turns the figure into a robot-like protective casing for an astronaut of the future. If we really stop and think about modern toys, let's say those produced from the mid 20th century, when Disney and Marvel films were already stimulating a massive appetite for merchandising, the question must be: do such fantasy and hybrid creatures belong, does something like artificial intelligence already belong to the broader community of humans and animals? It is already a decade or two since the wave of Tamagotchis washed in from Japan, moved children to feed and entertain their newly born electronic chicks in the way they would a real pet, or to run the risk of seeing them die. It was a new form of artificial life, but the relationship between people and machines becomes problematic when the machines or humanoid robots have excellent fine motor skills and artificial intelligence and sensitivity on a par with, or even greater than that of humans. Luckily we have not reached that point yet, even if Hollywood adaptations would have us believe we are not far away. Rothmann's robots are initially sweet toys, and each toy is known to have a different effect on children and adults. They are conceived by (adult) designers as a means of translating or retelling history or reality through miniature animals, knights, and soldiers. In the case of monsters, mythical creatures, and robots, it is more about creating visions of the future and parallel worlds. Certainly, since the success of fantasy books and films such as Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit, we see the potential for vast enthusiasm for such parallel worlds. Successful computer and online games such as World of Warcraft, or the creation of avatars are also interesting worldwide phenomena of virtual realities that are not only relevant for children and teens. So when a middle-aged Berlin photographic artist (like Christian Rothmann) chooses to study 120 toy robots with great difference in form, it represents a journey back to his own childhood - even if at the time, he played with a steam engine rather than a robot. Once batteries had been inserted, some of the largely male or gender-neutral robots, could flash, shoot, turn around and even do more complicated things. Some can even still do it today - albeit clumsily. This, of course, can only be seen on film, but the artist intends to document that as well; to feature the robots in filmic works of art. The positioning of the figures in the studio is the same as the tableau of pictures in the exhibition room. In this way, one could say Rothmann deploys one robot after the other. This systematic approach enables a comparative view; the extreme enlargement of what are actually small and manageable figures is like the macro vision of insects whose fascinating, sometimes monster-like appearance only becomes visible when they are blown up a hundredfold. The same thing goes for the robots; in miniature form, they seem harmless and cute, but if they were larger than humans and made noises to match, they would seem more threatening. Some of the tin figures...

Tropicarios #3 from Tropicarios series by Paloma Castello Digital photography print on chroma luxe. 33" x 21,6" Edition : 3/5 + 1AP Unframed Similar to the travel logs of the anci...