Kevin Champeny and his Peculiar Mosaics
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New York artist Kevin Champeny's work invites the viewer to engage with an array of the most extravagantly mundane materials: candies, matchsticks, toys, broken glass to name a few.
The sheer number of hours taken to compile these fantastical mosaics of form are translated in the inescapable pull they have for those viewing them.
One part sculptor the other part contemporary pop irreverence Champeny's work resonates with a whimsical modernity.
Among his most famous pieces there is the amusingly metonymical 'Hot Wheels' car entirely made of the very same toy cars (about 4.400 of them). Together with the also well-known gummy bear chandelier.
Thousands of little bears hand-cast with acrylic are attached together with glue to form the shape of a chandelier.
The simplicity of form and complexity of the light-play combine with the contemporary feel of the bears to enchant the viewer with a bit of nostalgia.
Whether it's a giant skull made of candies and chocolate, or the american flag formed with minuscule white, blue and red handmade toy soldiers, Kevin Champeny 's playful abandon renders to everyday extraordinary and embodies the notion of whimsy.