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Brian McCarty

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Brian McCarty
Born1974
Memphis, Tennessee
NationalityAmerican
Area(s)Photographer
http://www.brianmccarty.com

Brian McCarty (1974) is a contemporary artist and photographer known for his work with toys.[1] McCarty's approach is based upon integrating toy characters into real-life situations through the use of forced perspective in carefully crafted scenes.[2][3] Preferring to work in-camera and without compositing, McCarty creates his photographs by sometimes traveling to exotic locations,[4] including active war zones.[5] Although grounded in reality, because of his use of wit and whimsy, McCarty's work is often associated with the Art-Toy, Lowbrow, and Pop Surrealist movements.[6][7]

Career

Education

McCarty attended Parsons School of Design (1992–1996) and earned a BFA in photography.[8] While at Parsons in 1993, he began work on a photographic series titled The Dollhouse. For the series McCarty constructed a toy hyperreality and used the simulacra of family to explore modern living.[9] The Dollhouse received notable praise – earning a spot in the traveling exhibition Making It Real, curated by Vik Muniz.[10][11]

Fabrica

Upon graduation from Parsons in 1996, McCarty accepted a grant to the Benetton supported Fabrica research centre in Treviso, Italy.[12] While there he collaborated with an international group of young artists on a number of advertising campaigns and fine art exhibitions, including Habitus, Abito, Abitare, Progetto Arte at the Luigi Pecci Centre for Contemporary Art and KON©EPT, the first major photographic exhibition in Zagreb after the Croatian War of Independence.[13]

Mattel

McCarty worked as an in-house photographer for Mattel Toys (1999-2002), primarily on the Hot Wheels brand of toys.[14]

Art-Toys

In 2003 McCarty founded the photo studio McCarty PhotoWorks in West Hollywood, California.[15] Through the studio, McCarty created collaborative work with a number of well-known artists from the Art-Toy and Pop Surrealist movements,[16] including Mark Ryden,[17] Gary Baseman, Tim Biskup, Joe Ledbetter, Amanda Visell, Michelle Valigura, Greg "Craola" Simkins, FriendsWithYou, Andrew Bell, Jeremy Fish, Luke Chueh, Mario “MARS-1” Martinez, Scott Tolleson, Simone Legno, and Yoskay Yamamoto.[18] A collection of McCarty's Art-Toy collaborations was published as a monograph in 2010 by Baby Tattoo Books in Los Angeles.[19]

War-Toys

McCarty began the WAR-TOYS Photo-essay and documentary film in 2010.[20] The project uses principles of play therapy and art therapy to explore children's firsthand accounts of war.[21] McCarty completed his first trip to the Middle East in 2011,[22] collaborating with children from the Spafford Children's Center in East Jerusalem and the Dheisheh Refugee Camp outside of Bethlehem. He returned to the region in late 2012 and collaborated with Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip during the escalation leading up to Operation Pillar of Defense, then with Israeli children in the nearby town of Sderot beginning on the morning of the ceasefire.[23] McCarty has announced his intention to expand the project into additional areas on conflict around the world, including Sudan, Afghanistan, and Colombia.[24]

Selected Exhibitions

  • "War Games," V&A Museum of Childhood, London, England (2013)
  • “War Games,” Volksmuseum Schleswig, Schleswig, Germany (2012)[25]
  • "WAR-TOYS,” Richard F. Brush Art Gallery, St. Lawrence University, Canton, NY (2012)[26]
  • “Freedom to Create,” The Company’s Gardens, Cape Town, South Africa (2011)[27]
  • “Art-Toys,” La Luz de Jesus Gallery, Los Angeles, California (2010)
  • “Sweet Streets,” Nucleus Gallery, Alhambra, California (2010)
  • “Under the Influence: He Man and the Masters of the Universe,” Gallery 1988, Los Angeles, California (2010)
  • “MANIFEST HOPE: DC,” Irvine Contemporary Gallery, Washington, D.C. (2009)
  • “Three Apples,” Royal/T, Culver City, California (2009)
  • “Hi Fructose Group Art Show,” CoproNason Gallery, Santa Monica, California (2008)
  • “Beyond Ultraman,” Pasadena Museum of California Art, Pasadena, California (2007)
  • “i am 8-bit,” Gallery 1988, Los Angeles, California (2007)
  • “Toys: New Designs From the Art Toy Revolution,” The Showroom NYC (2006)
  • “Curious Creatures,” Punch Gallery, San Francisco, California (2004)
  • “Making it Real,” Portland Museum of Art, Portland, Maine (1998)
  • “Making it Real,” Bayly Art Museum, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA (1998)
  • “Making it Real,” Bakalar Gallery, Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, MA (1998)
  • “Making it Real,” Emerson Gallery, Hamilton College, Clinton, New York (1998)
  • “Making it Real,” Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield, Connecticut (1997)
  • “Making it Real,” The Reykjavik Municipal Art Museum, Reykjavik, Iceland (1997)
  • “Making it Real,” the Luigi Pecci Centre for Contemporary Art in Prato, Italy (1996)

Bibliography

  • War-Toys: Israel, West Bank, Gaza Strip, McCarty, Brian. Los Angeles. McCarty PhotoWorks, 2013 (ISBN 978-0615836584)
  • Art-Toys: Photographs by Brian McCarty, McCarty, Brian. Los Angeles. Baby Tattoo Books, 2010 (ISBN 978-0979330766)
  • Hi-fructose Collected Edition, Owens, Annie. San Francisco. Last Gasp, 2009 (ISBN 978-0867197136)
  • Beyond Ultraman, Kwong, Maria, and Pasadena Museum of California Art, ed. Los Angeles. Baby Tattoo Books, 2007 (ISBN 978-0979330728)
  • Dot Dot Dash, Klanten, Robert, and Hubner, Matthias, ed. Berlin. Die Gestalten Verlag, 2006 (ISBN 978-3899551617)
  • Toys: New Designs From the Art Toy Revolution, STRANGEco, ed. New York. MTV/Universe Publishing, 2006 (ISBN 978-0789313904)
  • Vinyl Will Kill, IdN and Jeremyville, ed. Hong Kong. IdN, 2004(ISBN 978-9889706500)

References

  1. ^ "Toys: A Photographers Muse". ABC News Video. 31 October 2006. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  2. ^ "Brian McCarty Plays God". XLR8R TV. 17 March 2009. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  3. ^ Farace, Joe (April 2008). "mccartyphotoworks.com". Shutterbug: 22.
  4. ^ Hogg, Victoria (July 2010). "Toy Story". Bizarre Magazine. UK: 83–85.
  5. ^ Namdar, Asieh (3 November 2011). "Art Project Combines War, Therapy -- and Toys". CNN.com. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  6. ^ PMCA and LATDA, ed. (2007). Beyond Ultraman: Seven Artists Explore the Vinyl Frontier (Exhibition Catalog). Baby Tattoo Books. pp. 46–51.
  7. ^ Platt, Olivia (3 September 2009). "The Secret Life of Toys: Dramatic Photos by Brian McCarty". Interview. Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  8. ^ Host, Vivian (November 2006). "Vis-Ed: Brian McCarty". XLR8R: 124–128.
  9. ^ Seifert, Daniel (Spring 2005). "Brian McCarty". Hi Fructose: 6–12.
  10. ^ Zimmer, William (16 March 1997). "Life With a Twist: Fiction-Based Photography…". The New York Times: 12.
  11. ^ Muniz, Vik (1997). Making it Real. New York: Independent Curators International. pp. 56–57.
  12. ^ Croci, Roberto (February 2007). "Crazy Toys Addiction". L’Uomo Vogue (in Italian): 66.
  13. ^ Croatian Photographic Society, ed. (1996). KON©EPT (Exhibition Catalog). Zagreb: Hrvatski Fotosavez. p. 137.
  14. ^ Gaita, Paul (October 2003). "Serious Fun: Photographer Brian McCarty Taps His Inner Child to Explore Grown-up Ideas". NOHO>LA: 6.
  15. ^ Jimenez, Zoe (November–December 2004). "Brian McCarty". While You Were Sleeping: 108–109.
  16. ^ Pescovitz, David (25 June 2005). "Brian McCarty's art toy photography". Boing Boing. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  17. ^ Pescovitz, David (30 March 2009). "Mark Ryden's first toy, photographed by Brian McCarty". Boing Boing. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  18. ^ Okes, Thomas (2011). "Brian McCarty's Playful Therapy". One Small Seed (21). South Africa: 43–48.
  19. ^ Hogg, Victoria (July 2010). "Toy Story". Bizarre Magazine. UK: 83–85.
  20. ^ Namdar, Asieh (3 November 2011). "Art Project Combines War, Therapy -- and Toys". CNN.com. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  21. ^ Platt, Olivia (1 August 2011). "WAR-TOYS: Fake Plastic Soldiers". Interview. Don’t Panic. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  22. ^ "War-Toys: Conflict through the eyes of children". CNN Photo Blog. 3 November 2011. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  23. ^ McCarty, Brian. "WAR-TOYS Blog". Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  24. ^ McCarty, Brian. "War, Art Therapy, and Toys". TEDx. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  25. ^ "War Games". Volkskunde Museum Schleswig. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
  26. ^ "WAR-TOYS: Photographs by Brian McCarty". St. Lawrence University. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
  27. ^ "Brian McCarty". South Africa: Freedom to Create. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
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