Hey Good Looking (2019) Collages door Toby Leon

The carousel in Hey Good Looking becomes a symbol of childhood innocence and carefree delight. And the carousel actually has a rich history dating back to medieval times. It was a tool for knights to practice their jousting skills, a symbol of chivalry and bravery. Today, it represents a momentary escape from reality, a brief respite from the trials and tribulations of life.

In "Hey Good Looking," the carousel becomes a symbol of childhood innocence and carefree delight. A momentary escape from reality. A brief respite from the trials and tribulations of life. Seen here ferrying a small dinosaur skeleton round and round, a reminder of the fleeting nature of life. Adorned with a blue bow, the dinosaur becomes an even more playful nod to the curious nature of existence - the juxtaposition of life and death, the transient and the eternal.

The carousel is not just a ride, but a menagerie - butterflies, cheetahs, chimps, and lizards - representing the diversity and interconnectedness of life. The three adults, dressed in fabulous clothes to momentarily recapture their youth, embody the human desire for joy, connection, celebration and without any kids in the scene, we find this carousel ride speaks to the mercurial nature of the ageing process. With each revolution of the carousel, we find a mirror of passing years. And with each passing year we wonder, will we become who we hoped we would? Will we ever settle into our own skin and find happiness within? All of these present and critical personal challenges are given the space to let go at carnivals and funfairs. So while ageing is often associated with decline and loss, it’s reimagined here with grace and love — as a callback journey of self-discovery and acceptance.

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Series Statement

My digital collage series, "Candy Babel’s Carnival for Kidults" is a metaphorical midway. Drawing from the ancient narrative of the Tower of Babel, a monument of human audacity that was splintered into a mélange of tongues and cultures, I find connection with echoes of the travelling circus — bringing together disparate groups of people ‘under one tent’. In this reconstructed Babel, the tower becomes a stage, a spectacle, where the othered and the marginalized, the 'freaks,' dare to exist in their full, vibrant humanity. And people pay to see it. Encapsulating the essence of play in its purest form — joyous, unifying, transformative.

In this carnival, play isn’t recreational, it’s revolutionary. The carnival becomes a tableau vivant, where each performance is an act of rebellion and acceptance, a safe space in the most vulnerable of places — on stage. The queer, the different, the non-normative, can all find a home here, shining stars in this periphery.

I present to you a kaleidoscopic world that basks in its rainbow otherness. Revelling in its queerness. Through this work, I hope to engage in a dialogue about the myriad ways in which we express and experience our humanity. I aim to challenge perceptions, to provoke thought, and to celebrate the beautiful complexity of our existence. Come, join the carnival, and rediscover the world through the vibrant lens of Candy Babel's Carnival for Kidults.

Verwante thema's

CarnivalHumansAnimals