Guest of Honour (2019) Collages by Toby Leon

Collages on Paper, 32x24 in
$170
Shipping included
Last copies remaining!

Shipping from: Australia (Tube) Ships within 3 days
14-day return policy
Shipping worldwide
100% secure transaction
Free Returns
Shipped by the seller: The shipping of this artwork is handled directly by the seller. Customs not included.
  • Packaging (Tube) All artworks are shipped with a premium carrier, carefully protected and insured.
  • Tracking Order tracking until the parcel is delivered to the buyer. A tracking number will be provided so that you can follow the parcel in real-time.
  • Delay Most packages are delivered worldwide within 1 to 3 weeks (Estimate)
  • Customs not included The price does not include customs fees. Most countries have no import tax for original artworks, but you may have to pay the reduced VAT. Customs fees (if any) are to be calculated on arrival by the customs office and will be billed separately by the carrier.
ArtMajeur guarantees you to make every effort to enable you to acquire authentic original works at the fairest price, or reimburse you in full.
  • Trackable Online Certificate of Authenticity Authenticity Certificates can be verified online at any moment by scanning the artwork code.
  • Artist Value Certification Experts study the work and career of an artist then establish an independent and reliable average price value. The average price value situates the artist on a price range for a given period. The experts may also be asked to establish a more precise estimate for a particular work.
100% secure transaction, Accepted Payment Methods: Credit Card, PayPal, Bank Transfer.
Secured direct purchase The transaction is guaranteed by ArtMajeur: the seller will get paid only once the customer has received the artwork.
100% secure payment with SSL certificate + 3D Secure.
Free Returns: 14-day return policy.
Returns Accepted 14 days ArtMajeur is 100% committed to the satisfaction of collectors: you have 14 days to return an original work. The work must be returned to the artist in perfect condition, in its original packaging. All eligible items can be returned (unless otherwise indicated).
Artwork signed by the artist
Certificate of Authenticity included
Guest of Honour is a madcap mashup of gods, beliefs, and cultures, like a spiritual blender set to high. It's a shout-out to the way gods and religions have been mixed and matched through history, forming a rainbow quilt of faith as motley as any crew’s ever been. All set against a backdrop of a Balinese temple with Cambodian flourish. Laced with the [...]
Guest of Honour is a madcap mashup of gods, beliefs, and cultures, like a spiritual blender set to high. It's a shout-out to the way gods and religions have been mixed and matched through history, forming a rainbow quilt of faith as motley as any crew’s ever been. All set against a backdrop of a Balinese temple with Cambodian flourish. Laced with the solemnity of Thai monks in prayer at the top of the stairs. Building into a diorama of how folklore, Hindusim and Buddhism blended together in SE Asia. Giving rise to many site specific faiths, like the Hindus of Bali, whose distinct form of worship incorporates local animism, ancestor worship or Pitru Paksha, and reverence for Buddhist saints or Bodhisattava. Or Buddhism in Thailand, which integrated with folk religion (Bon) as well as Chinese religions from the large Thai Chinese population.

The Guest of Honour wears a crown but carries the weight of all this mish-mashed faith. An ecumenical bird god, right smack in the middle of all the faith-based politicking that put him in his place. Decked out in a Chinese tortoise shell crown, deer antlers, and these shiny totems. Bedazzling anyone who lingers long enough to hear how they’re getting it all wrong. A leaping, squawking symbol of how we roll one religion into another, and another, until they’re flattened out by the weight of history and all their quirks become part of the scenery. Which happens wherever you go, no matter how far you go back. Just like the Romans copy-pasting their gods from the Greeks. Or adopting gods from places they conquered to help their Roman pantheon fit right in.

"Guest of Honour" shows the intriguing magic of faith being manufactured for the masses to empower a small few. Served here with a smile — a whole song and dance — asking you to think about how faith can act like a drug, a thing that brings us together but also keeps us in a never-ending cycle of "bread and circuses."

Related themes

BirdsBaliGodsMythsTemple

Follow
History Remixing. We imagine history into existence every day, shaping the world around us as we go. I remake histories with every piece. From a motley crew of tales tall and true. A melange of myths, signs and [...]

History Remixing

We imagine history into existence every day, shaping the world around us as we go. I remake histories with every piece. From a motley crew of tales tall and true. A melange of myths, signs and symbols. Every one ripe for my kitsch confections, which could all be legends one day.

Every piece I create is true. Sourced from truth and grounded by it. But never real. Reality's a fiction we're all subscribed to, which doesn't make it any less true. And that's the thing about the truth. Or the past. It moves in both directions. Myriad, in fact. Never sitting still or doing as it's told. Forever questioned, dissected, reframed and upended. Queered and inverted. Packaged and performed. Told, retold, adapted then sold. Evolving, like everything else. Which is why I like to think my art exists outside of time. Reaching for infinity. Not reality. A kaleidoscope of mish-mashed truths, which are only as surreal as we choose to make them...‍

Eternally Hungry

Born in Sydney, I spent my childhood surrounded by artists, oddballs and academics. They taught me to question everything. Respectfully and without fear.

Their coffee table books inspired my love of art and design. Vigorous debates over citywide dinner tables made me realise how complex the world is. Tales of lives spent abroad inspired my wanderlust. Their most important lesson? The value of being eternally hungry—that you should always leave enough room to taste something you've never experienced before.

Twenty-two countries and four continents later, I can find home anywhere with WiFi and a hearty chunk of intrigue. It's because of them, and I'm forever grateful.

See more from Toby Leon

View all artworks
Collages titled "Silk Rodeo" by Toby Leon, Original Artwork, Collages
Collages on Paper | 32x24 in
$170
Collages titled "Secret Dog, Private…" by Toby Leon, Original Artwork, Collages
Collages on Paper | 32x24 in
$170
Collages titled "Hanuman the Handyman" by Toby Leon, Original Artwork, Digital Collage
Collages on Paper | 32x24 in
$170
Collages titled "Silk Rodeo Romeo" by Toby Leon, Original Artwork, Digital Collage
Collages on Paper | 32x24 in
$170

ArtMajeur

Receive our newsletter for art lovers and collectors