Inspired by pop-culture icons, Jason Freeny reinvents, while exposing the inner workings of your favorite toys. Mario Brothers, Barbie, Legos, and Mickey. No toy is safe from his steady knife, as he deconstructs, sculpts and meticulously brings his subjects back to anatomical health with colorful precision.
Jason Freeny is featuring a select collection of his latest sculptures at 101/exhibit in West Hollywood March 16 and to prepare, I caught up with Jason for this exclusive interview.
mM : Beginning with the dissection and innards illustration of every kid’s most popular requested Balloon Animal—the dog, you have transformed many pop-culture icons into dissected anatomies for all to imagine. What is some of your inspiration for dissecting your pop-icons?
Jason : I’m driven by the discovery of the interesting and grotesque skeletal systems that these characters produce. I work in what I consider a “reverse forensics.” I take cues from the exterior forms of the characters that dictates what the inner anatomy would look like. In a way, I’m liberating whats already inside. I like the anatomy to have a similar “toy like” feel as the exterior, colored in the same cartoonish fashion as the plastic toy.
mM : The sculptural presentation at 101/exhibit West Hollywood in March presents a select grouping of your work. How would you describe your latest effort? Do you have a specific piece you would like to further describe?
Jason : I’ve been creating these sculpts for several years now, displaying my process as I progress with each project online as it happens. People seem to be just as fascinated as I am (33,000 subscribers and growing). This will be the first public display of this work and I wanted to present some of my personal favorite characters from my childhood as well as a few of my own twisted creations. I want the viewer to feel transformed back into their youth, but this time as if mom spiked their juice-box.
Probably the most enjoyable piece to create for this show was the dissection of Barbie. exposing the distorted, freakish bone structure required for her curves and the grotesquely formed organs was as surreal for me as it is to the viewer.
mM : Who or what do you find daily inspiration from?
Jason : Inspiration comes at the most random times. I can get ideas from the most mundane industrial objects like a toilet plunger, just staring off in space or in the middle of the night when I cant sleep.
It’s no wonder Clutter Magazine awarded Jason Freeny The Break Through Artist of the Year in 2011. Thanks to Jason Freeny for taking time out. To see more of Jason’s work, please visit 101/exhibit in West Hollywood March 16 for a new collection of provocative sculptures.