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urprisingly, Roman Shevchenko wasn’t a professional photographer. Perhaps a shocking revelation, especially to those in his hometown of Moscow that chanced upon him, camera fixed firmly to his face, in the midst of a photo shoot. Or, more broadly, those that encountered his work online, enticed by the intimate moments he captured his subjects in. But the truth remains, Roman Shevchenko was not a professional photographer. Rather, it was how he expressed and shared his passion.Discovering the designer toy art movement as he entered his thirties, Shevchenko accumulated an impressive collection over the next five years. Finding inspiration in these toy-like sculptures, they became the focal subjects for his photographs. Often capturing the whimsical nature of these works, Shevchenko’s photos were still life stories, ranging from the humorous to the depressing, the comedic to the tragic. Each one told an appropriate tale for the art piece featured, a frozen moment that encapsulated the soul of the sculpture.Sharing his photos online, where he was known as AlPred, Shevchenko was doing more than creatively cataloguing his own collection. Just as he was inspired by these works, his work was inspiring others. While he was well-known worldwide by designer toy collectors and artists, he was simultaneously exposing his fellow Russian countrymen to the designer toy movement and the possibilities within it. On October 19th, 2014, Shevchenko’s life was cut short, ending abruptly when he suffered a heart attack. Almost one year later, Coarse honored his memory by releasing the Omen Fade vinyl sculpture, a sullen looking interpretation of their owl character, its blank eyes cast downward. Now, for the second anniversary of his departure from our lives, two of Shevchenko’s friends in Russia have found a way to immortalize his photographic art.The husband-and-wife design team of Ilya and Maria Kaner have carefully compiled a compendium of their friend’s photographs, titled Roman Shevchenko, My Toys. A 320-page journey through Shevchenko’s art, this hardcover tome will encompass 164 pieces by 35 designer toy artists, including Ashley Wood Luke Chueh , Coarse, Ferg Jon-Paul Kaiser , Michael Lau, mr clement Kenny Wong , and many others. A valuable time capsule regarding a memorable collector and the artistry with which he photographed his collection, Roman Shevchenko, My Toys promises to be a document every designer toy aficionado should have on their shelf.

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Alessandro Gallo's For Some Reason Nick Curtis I don't know if the Bloodhound Gang song "The Bad Touch" was popular in Alessandro Gallo's native Italy, but gazing upon his For Some Reason (2016) solo exhibition's stoneware sculptures makes me think of that track. I'm referring, of course, to the main chorus of the piece, the stanza "You…