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The Birth of the Satyr

he term Starry Eyed can be interpreted in a couple of ways, especially when considering the art career and work of Seulgie , who used the name for her first solo exhibition. In the most obvious way, it can indicate the glittery star shapes she decorates the eyes of her figures with. But, even more appropriately, it can describe the artist herself; someone who dreamed of becoming an art toy sculptor and chased her dreams.

During the first seven months of her apprenticeship under artist Peter Kato at his Brooklyn studio, Seulgie began designing and sculpting her debut art toy. Her own interpretation of the half-man, half-goat creatures from Roman mythology, Seulgie used a profile that merged the childlike cuteness of Kewpie dolls with the stylized pose of the Sonny Angel figures. With each one cast in resin and hand-painted by her, the Satyr pieces were immaculately conceived, each sugary pastel part joining together seamlessly. With minimal paint application, it was the addition of sparkly, glittery aspects to the eyes that really stood out.

And all her work paid off. Seulgie debuted her Satyr on June 18th, 2015… and these initial versions sold out in five minutes. Two months later, a second wave — the Summer Satyr edition — was released and sold out in a mere minute. Her design proving popular with collectors worldwide, the question became what should she do next…

Evolving Satyr into Rory

After continuing the line, creating a multitude of Satyr versions, Seulgie began to feel constricted by the figure’s sculpted hair and cloven hooves. Focusing on the head, she crafted a new evolution more in line with the Kewpie doll: a youthful face perfect for having a shock of synthetic hair adorning it. Naming this new iteration Rory, after the term Satyrory she occasionally calls her Satyr works, it debuted in two Halloween-themed versions at the 2016 New York Comic Con.

Rory at Starry Eyed

Coming full circle, Seulgie’s recent Starry Eyed solo exhibition was a true testament to the possibilities that Rory allows the artist. Featuring 35 unique versions of the figure, Seulgie’s showcase at myplasticheart introduced new paw-footed legs to give further transformational options to the pieces. Remade in a variety of animal hybrids with cloth bonnets altering the head shape, Starry Eyed included bunny versions (in both upright and lop eared variations) and kitty renditions, each further altered with puff ball and slender tail additions respectively. Using the original’s cloven hoof feet and sculpted goat rump, there were also lamb characters on display, some using bonnets while others were attired with fluffy hair tufts, these latter ones recreating the profile of the Satyr. While seemingly repitious at a quick glance, closer inspection of the works in Starry Eyed rewards the onlooker with their subtle diversity.



The Starry Eyed solo exhibition at myplasticheart had its opening reception on Friday, December 2nd from 7-10pm. All works in this exhibition will remain on display until December 30th, 2016 at the gallery’s physical location ( 210 Forsyth St., New York, NY 10002 ).

For more information on Seulgie:

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