Toggles ‘Binary Deception’ @ Nice Cat Gallery
As some of you may already know, Toggles opened his first solo show at Nice Cat gallery on Friday night, it was a pretty busy night, considering the weather, but the place was pretty full when I got there mid way through. What was everybody braving the rain and cold for? A great show by one of Melbourne’s best up and coming street artists.
After running from the car to the front doors, I walked into this show not sure what to expect, whenever I find Toggles’ work out on the street, it’s always different from the last. Not in a confusing way, his work is consistantly improved from the last, showing that practice makes perfect. But I personally was unsure if it would transition well to a number fo canvas’ in a gallery space, I was wrong. Walking into this show, Nice Cats blank white walls were covered in a sea of bold bright colours in pieces both big and small. Some works are displayed on tradition paper and canvas’, whereas others are carved from wood and pyramids. It’s quite an impressive body of work for a small space, but it all makes collective sense, from the characters to the landscapes, the walls have been littered with Toggles’ psychedelic world. Some of these pieces contain worlds within worlds along with characters within worlds and while the work is constraint to a flat surface, it is somewhat dimension, containing a lot of depth with numerous perspectives.
This seems to be a show from an artist who’s really starting to break out and becoming confident in their work, every piece in this show shows Toggles really finding consistancy and style in his work, while being willing to try new things. Whether its the layered wood cut creatures or pushing his work on to less traditional canvases, such as the pyramids, which were also seen at Rainbow Serpent. And if theres one thing to be said about his work its that, its makes the viewer appreciate the creativity and imagination, some of Melbourne’s young and fresh artists are pushing , whether it be on the street or the gallery world. Work such as Toggles, allows you to dive into a piece and explore the worlds in which he has manifested for yourselves. He’s not necessarily pushing any ideas onto you, but he’s showing you something, it’s just up to you to find out what it is.
This great show is on at Nice Cat Store and Gallery for a couple more weeks [I think], don’t miss out! And don’t forget to check out this interview I did with the man himself too!
