StickerNation :: International Sticker Network

Feature by Dom Murphy :: Saturday, August 09, 2003

We originally wanted to profile Toye on the homepage under the guise of a StickerNation member profile. But Toye came back with a few more interesting words than we expected. Read on...

Who or what is Toye?
I developed my alter ego Toye because I didn't want to have to take responsibility for my art when it was bad, or illegal for that matter. It's so much easier to give yourself another identity that isn't actually you, because you are never really held accountable as an individual. Now I have people saying - oh you're Toye, or - oh, I saw your stuff here or there, but that's kind of weird too because these people have an idea of who you are and judge you based on your art. I meet street artists all the time, and in my mind I have this vision of who they are and I'm almost always wrong.

Most people want to know why I'm called Toye, and I have to say right now that it's nothing to do with vibrators. I call myself Toye, because that's how I defined myself within the graffiti circle that spawned my art. I knew that I was a 'toy' to other writers, so I just embraced it. It's like how it's cool to be wack. I guess I am also playful with my work and that's a theme in my personality too.

Where do you find your influences?
If you want to look at my main influences visually look at Phil Frost, Twist, Thesis, Medium, Madreal, Pokemon and the Dark Crystal. If you want to know what actually gets me going creatively, it's my friends who are artists, who I get to paint with, or see their work, or do group shows with, or make music with, etc.

When I first got into street art, I was all about surfing the web looking for inspiration. Now it seems that inspiration is everyone I meet.

What you up to at the moment? Anything lined up?
I make a lot of art and do projects with the thoughtcrimez collective. We have a show coming up in Toronto at 303 Augusta (Kensignton Market) in late October 2003. I also have a show with Medium at Fressen, (a vegetarian restaurant on Queen Street West) starting in September 2003. So if you are in the neighborhood, you should drop by.

So you're based in Toronto. We recently asked Madreal what Toronto is like and he said the sticker scene is quite small. What are your thoughts on the place? What's going on?
Yeah, I'm from the big ol' city of Toronto (you can all call it Toy-ronto now though) up in our great land of 'the Canada'. Our street art season is limited to late spring, summer and fall. Half of the year, most surfaces are too cold for paint, wheat paste or stickering. Everyone is usually forced to wait until the weather is good enough for the art to be put up. This probably explains the small scene. This is also why I have taken to making metal things, after being inspired by a great Toronto artist, Rockey Dobey. That guy has it all figured out. If you make your stuff from metal, and mount it the right way, no one can remove it or cover it! Also, if you put it up with bolts an screws, it can still be snowing outside.

The other thing about Toronto is that geographically, it is a very sprawled out city. There are many different pockets of art concentrated around the city, and they're very easy to miss. It's easy to miss a lot of good stuff because unlike New York or other major cities, there are back alleys running everywhere in Toronto, and most people don't walk the alleys. If you come to to Toronto and want to see street art, I suggest you go to Kensignton Market, which is the mecca of the Toronto street art scene (a lot of my photo's are from there). So many different artists have hit Kensington that it is in my mind it's own gallery.

Any last words
If you want to see my art or listen to music and give me a record deal, go to my site (link below) and if you want to see new art every day, goto thoughtcrimez.

And if you are not interested in working hard and doing the best you can, go home.