Indonesian artist Abell Octovan and Mighty Jaxx are teaming up again for a new subversive art toy, but we’ve got a feeling that the Disney inspired piece might also be a dig at another artist. the new piece: No Companion: Trust No One will only be available for pre-order over a 24-hour period starting at 8 AM Jakarta time, is obviously based around the classic characters of Pinnochio and Jiminy Cricket. However, the fact that the piece has “No Companion” in the name has us feeling that maybe the middle finger is pointed (at least partially) towards another artist, Kaws.
That artist has become synonymous with brand deals for retail outlets like Uniqlo and for altering licensed characters just enough to make them art by putting X’s over their eyes and giving them different ears. Kaws also got into a small social media scuffle when he accused Artist Jason Freeny (who also works with Mighty Jaxx ) of stealing the idea of showing a partially exposed skeleton within a figure from him. It was then pointed out to Kaws that this style of art existed at least one hundred years before he “came up with it.”
About Abell Octovan:
Jakarta, Indonesia based designer and producer Abell Octovan has been creating art toys since 2008.Known for exploring popular culture and mashing up two characters or concepts to create one new one, he began to seriously explore designer & art toys by founding his “My Royal Ego” studio and workshop.Producing resin toys and artwork since 2010, My Royal Ego allows Octovan to design, collaborate, and produce works with many local and international artists.