Dystopia Toyland 2015 — Peter Adamyan

"Dystopia Toyland" is an exploration of the darker side of the duality of man. It is inspired by the formative moments in our youth when we first learned of true violence, a time when we're most susceptible and our psyches are still in development. As children, our first understanding of the adult world comes from using toys to play out scenarios we believe to be a reflection of the grown up world around us. At the time, we are taught that violence is a heroic act of self sacrifice and that the good guys always win.

In most places in the world today, violence is much more real, and considered a hard fact of day to day life for children. For the Western world however, it's something less tangible, something we see only on our televisions and in our video games. Why then does it permeate throughout our culture as prevalently as it does? Is it due to the benefist of imperial advancement? The validation found in religious text? Or is it simply encoded in our DNA?

The fact is that humanity seems to have become less violent over time, but our means to destroy have grown exponentially. Violence is not as accepted as it has been throughout history, but we still learn to accept it as a fact of being human. We tell ourselves that there will always be war, oppression of women and minorities, and that children will grow up in a world where they accept violence as a part of adulthood.

"Dystopia Toyland" is an attempt to engage in this dialog using imagery from our collective childhood while also examining the disassociated visions of violence we have learned to accept as a part of day to day life.

The show opened at Good Mother Gallery in april of 2015.

Cobra Hates Your Freedom

Oil on linen in custom frame

16" X 20"

Ken Went to War and All I Got Was This Lousy Flag

Oil on linen in custom frame

16" X 20"

If This Van's A'Rockin, Call The Police

Oil on linen in custom frame

11" X 14"

Posable Limbs Require Strong Pimp Hand

Oil on linen in custom frame

11" X 14"

In Private Collection

Workers Comp Daydreams

Oil on linen in custom frame

11" X 14"

In Private Collection

Sylvia Plath Kitchen Playset

Oil on linen in custom frame

11" X 14"

In Private Collection

Freight Train Fuhrer

Oil and acrylic on wood relief

4.5" x 8"

Available at Hyaena Gallery

Manifest Destiny

Oil and acrylic on wood relief

5" x 7.5"

Finding The Lost Boys

Oil and acrylic on wood relief

5" x 7"

Searching For Sleeping Beauty

Oil and acrylic on wood relief

5" x 9.5"

Toby

Oil and acrylic on wood relief

5" x 9"

Available at Hyaena Gallery

The Unfriendly Ghost

Oil and acrylic on wood relief

5" X 9"

In Private Collection

Lil' Sally Shootin' Spree

Oil on wood cutout

6.5" X 28"

In Private Collection

Didn't Pull Out

Oil on wood cutout

4.5" X 5"

In Private Collection

Broken Condom

Oil on wood cutout

4.5" X 5"

Forgot The Pill

Oil on wood cutout

4.5" X 5"

In Private Collection

Failed Abortion

Oil on wood cutout

4.5" X 5"

Lil' Max Mass Shooter

Oil on wood cutout

6.5" X 28"

In Private Collection

Redade

Oil on wood cutout

4" X 5"

In Private Collection

Orangeade

Oil on wood cutout

4" X 5"

In Private Collection

Yellowade

Oil on wood cutout

4" X 5"

In Private Collection

Greenade

Oil on wood cutout

4" X 5"

In Private Collection

Blueade

Oil on wood cutout

4" X 5"

In Private Collection

Purpleade

Oil on wood cutout

4" X 5"

In Private Collection

Baby's First Homicide

Oil on wood cutout

4.5" X 10"

Baby's First Boom Boom

Oil on wood cutout

3" X 6"

In Private Collection

Baby's First Drive By

Oil on wood cutout

5" X 9"

Installation View

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Back to Dystopia Toyland 2015

Cobra Hates Your Freedom

Ken Went to War and All I Got Was This Lousy Flag

If This Van's A'Rockin, Call The Police

Posable Limbs Require Strong Pimp Hand

Workers Comp Daydreams

Sylvia Plath Kitchen Playset

Freight Train Fuhrer

Manifest Destiny

Finding The Lost Boys

Searching For Sleeping Beauty

The Unfriendly Ghost

Lil' Sally Shootin' Spree

Didn't Pull Out

Forgot The Pill

Failed Abortion

Lil' Max Mass Shooter

Baby's First Homicide

Baby's First Boom Boom

Baby's First Drive By

Installation View