Toy Story
“Toy Faces” featuring M.F. Husain and Yayoi Kusama - by Amrit Pal Singh
Amrit Pal Singh’s 3D toy-like renditions of characters, figures, and movements celebrate a whimsical childhood that transcends age.
There is a magical nostalgia of toys, of trinkets capable of taking many of us back to the best time of our lives: childhood. This sense of déjà vu is the first sense that swarms a viewer when they see Amrit Pal Singh’s Toy Face Tour: a physical toy room made of human collection of ‘Toy Faces’.
A visual artist, 3D illustrator, and art director, Singh studied Digital Design at Vancouver Film School and has two practices: branding, packaging & design consultancy, and a design and publishing firm focusing on storytelling and things for kids, like games, books, and apps. “I have been fortunate enough to collaborate with clients across the globe on interesting and exciting projects,” Singh says. “I have been interested in art, aesthetics, and tech for as long as I can remember. As for the exact origins of my interest in art, it is hard to say. I think that every child is interested in making, creating, and playing. Unfortunately, most people lose that intrigue along the way, either to fear or to expectation. Fortunately for me, I have been able to hold on to it.”
For Singh, play is an integral part of life, and something that should extend beyond childhood. “I think that childlike wonder is at the core of who I am, and Toy Faces are one manifestation of this. They work because they are accessible and engaging to just about anyone. Toy Faces can also be anyone—and that’s the fun in them.”
Singh uses a 3D software called Cinema 4D to make the toy faces. These are computer-generated images, which he ‘sculpts’ on to the software, a process which involves—like sculpting a rock—creating creative designs of a 3-dimensional cube. All the faces have the same base, eyes, nose, ears, which Singh builds on that foundation to create something new and unique every time.
Singh is candid enough to admit that he does not have an art message, per se. “I just want to evoke a feeling in people who experience my art,” he says. “That feeling is one of youth, nostalgia, and overall joy.” He is inspired by both people and things and says that drawing inspiration from different sources can be a powerful tool for creativity. “For me personally, I draw inspiration from a lot of comic books, cartoons, and product design. Basically, anything that is nicely designed, whether it’s architecture, a cinematic frame, a children’s book, a piece of furniture, anything at all that’s aesthetically pleasing can be a source of inspiration for me.”
Amrit Pal Singh
Singh minted his first NFT—the Friday Toy Face—in February 2021, which he was able to sell for 3.9 ETH (roughly ₹6.5 lakh). He continued the project with various other Toy Faces, and later added toy rooms. Now, he has minted over a hundred NFTs—a rare achievement for an NFT artist like him “I think I was able to see the Toy Face project really take off for a few different reasons. To start with, NFTs are the intersection of a lot of my existing interests like pop culture, tech, meme culture, and so on. Second, I was able to find a community of like-minded people with whom my art really resonated with. I am active in the NFT community and have been since the beginning. Just like the offline art world has its own ecosystem, so does the digital art world; and to succeed, you must nurture it.”
His current project sees the addition of seven new toy faces of iconic artists, including an official collaboration with the M.F. Husain estate. Singh says that he is now revisiting his own roots, so it is not necessarily different, but an expansion of my existing project.
“It is an honour to have an official collaboration with the [Husain] estate. When I first started talking to Method—the gallery behind the tour—we decided this would be a fantastic opportunity to really honour such a great artist. HEFTY.art came on board, and then we all worked together to make it happen with the estate.” HEFTY.art is a premier curator-driven marketplace, displaying a diverse assortment of digital and physical art from talented artists around the world.
“I think that childlike wonder is at the core of who I am, and Toy Faces are one manifestation of this. They work because they are accessible and engaging to just about anyone. Toy Faces can also be anyone—and that’s the fun in them.”
Method is an independent creative art space in Mumbai’s art district of Kala Ghoda. Sahil Arora, Founder and Curator of Method says, “I have been following Amrit’s work since he first started making NFTs. Method has always drawn inspiration from 90s culture, so we had that in common with Amrit. His Toy Faces resonated with us. His desire to spread joy through his art in a simple, accessible way while still innovating and moving towards the future was the right fit for us. Plus, who wouldn’t want to make a comic toy room come to life?”
For someone who has worked in both the digital and physical art world, and has been a product designer, Singh is used to seeing things crossover from digital to physical. “It was exciting to create a fictional place—the collector’s room—and then build it into existence,” he says. “Now, it exists in both realms. The whole room is for sale as an NFT whereas in the physical world, elements of the room such as the furniture or the Toy Gramophone can be purchased individually. It is exciting to think about someone bringing some of the toy room into their actual home.
“Though it is technically an art collector’s room, I think it is a child’s dream room.”
Toy Room - Amrit Pal Singh
As more people use technology in their work through digital art and A.I., Singh feels that more mediums will be created, and the process of artmaking will be increasingly accessible. Every six months, the world of art will surprise us with new technology. While it may seem intimidating at first, it is the many possibilities that make it exciting.
Singh admits that his number one priority is to keep making art as he looks ahead. “I have a list of Toy Faces and Toy Rooms that I still must make. After the three-city tour, who knows what will come after that. If it is a big success, maybe we will keep going pan-India. Other than that, I am looking forward to more collaborations.”
“In the physical art world particularly in India, it is amazing that today I am in the middle of a three-city tour for a solo show. Three years ago, art like mine was not fully appreciated by the gallery world. Galleries like Method, and partners like HEFTY.art, and then Stir and Social (which are hosting in Delhi and Bangalore respectively), are crucial to this shift.”
“I think the goal of everyone involved in this show is to change the tide, to make art more accessible, and encourage everyone to engage with art. Art does not have to be in the hands of a few. In fact, it should not be.”
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Bindu Gopal Rao is a freelance writer and photographer based in Bengaluru. She is passionate about all things to do with the environment. You can follow her on Instagram @bindugopalrao.
