Our friends from Ghent, the incredibly talented Toykyo crew, just launched Case Studyo: a production and publishing company of contemporary artist series.

Its first drop? This amazing porcelain Parra sculpture called Jean Pierre Le Douche.

The beautiful sculpture measures 45cm(H) by 55cm(L) by 22cm(W) and is presented with a silkscreened wooden box.

About Case Studyo :

UPDATE / NEW IMAGES :

(first pic by hypequest )

I had a nice chat with Mathieu about the sculpture, the price tag, the release, KNOTORYUS, the future and little girls.

read the interview after the jump…

Hi Mathieu, you told us about this Parra collab at the beginning of August…

Yeah, we were just kickstarting it back then. Initially, the idea was to make a chair.

Did it go as smoothly as planned?

It took a lot longer than we thought!
Converting Parra’s 2-D drawing into 3-D was quite difficult. Benjamin my Toykyo productions partner sculpted the statue and did a very nice job!

What was your first Parra collaboration ever and how did it come about?

Our first Parra collaboration was the expo we did at the Toykyo store in December 2006.
We just asked him and he said yes. The second collaboration was for the sticker pack!

Do you remember the first time  you saw Parra’s work?

I got to know him from the ROCKWELL T-shirts that my friend and partner in the shop Jean distributed in Belgium like 5 years ago,…

Where can we see the new Parra sculpture?

GALERIE THE LAZY DOG
Parra’s solo show “BOO TO THE HOO”
2 passage Thiere – 75011 Paris – France
T: +33(0)1 58309476

Will there be an official release in Belgium?

No

Are you going to tour with it?

If it’s not getting sold at the expo in Paris we would love to travel with it.

How many will be made?

1

What’s it gonna cost?

Ask Romuald at Lazy dog,…

Does it have a name?

Not yet, still have to ask Parra to name it!

The first promo pics were taken in Belgium weren’t they?
How come you didn’t send them to us first? Is there another home country blog you like better, mmmh?

Yes the first pics where taken in Belgium in and around my house.
Actually it was the same day when Parra came to get it for his expo in Paris.
We didn’t had the time to enjoy it ourselves because  we just finished it the same day.
We didn’t send pictures to any blog it just popped up after the opening night of the expo.
Nalden.net got some previews from us.

There’s no other home country blog that we like better than KNOTORYUS. We’re just not so good at promoting ourselves…

What are your favourite Parra captions? 

Don’t thank me thank flipper

Gucci random dildo

You are suck
…

What’s your favourite Parra work?

Hmmmmm that’s a difficult one he did so much good stuff the last couple years.
I still like what he is doing for his ROCKWELL brand and love most of the collaborations with other brands nike,vans,zooyork,patta,incase…

The headphones he did recently with “THE PERFECT UNISON” are pretty neat.

Tell us about Toykyo.

I started the shop in 2006 there I would liked to share the things that I loved and thought there wasn’t such a place in my hometown.  With Toykyo productions we started as a platform for artist we liked and tried to bring there art to a wider public.

Meanwhile, when we have spare time we make/collaborate on future artist projects.
Keep checking our website www.toykyo.be for updates and to follow up what we do, 2009 will be fun.

The new website will online somewhere beginning of 2009 so check it out.

I immediately got the sticker pack (from your previous Parra collab) as you know. But I’m still reluctant to stick em on my wall, Mac or suitcases. And it’s not even that I want to sell ‘em. I just don’t want to use one, cause that’d feel like tearing a family apart. Some advice please!

Frame them nicely and make your own Parra expo at home!
You’re always welcome to ask me for some extra stickers to stick’em wherever you like!

Not a lot of people know, but you guys produced a banging launch for Jean Paul Gaultiers Madame in Paris.

THX! Toykyo productions started out as a platform for artists we liked and we try to bring their art to a wider public.
The last year it became more serious and more commissioned work came our way (which is good to pay the bills ).

Who would you love to collab with in 2009?

Calma, Delta, Geoff McFetridge

Tell us about some new brands we should look forward to seeing at your shop:

I’m going to focus more on the books because the space at the shop is limited and it’s hard to give everything a nice spot.
Maybe the toys section will create some space for newer gadgets and design objects I like.
Keep checking for the Toykyo brand.

The KNOTORYUS F.E.A.R. book is being sold at Colette. But you were the first one to stock us and we’re really (grateful and) proud. What do you like about KNOTORYUS?

I think you guys have great taste and you’re quick to pick up on all the good stuff.

So keep it up and keep supporting us.

Describe what you’re wearing today. If your are behind your desk wearing  all over locomotive printed PJ’s, then first tell us where you got ‘em from and why they are so comfy. Then tell us what you would be wearing working at the store. 

I’m wearing a P.A.M. crew neck sweat + Levis + Nike air trainers II and a RECON new era cap,…

You’re about to be a dad, aren’t you? Give us your top 3 of cities you’d like to show the little one + why.

I became father on the 6th of December and the little girl is named Holly!

TOKYO : Because I just love the city and the people + food and all the stuff that’s happing over there.
NY : to see our friends and feel the never ending creative vibe of the city that I like for a long time.
BALI : for the sun,surf,relax and beautiful houses,…

More info : here

Thank you Mathieu, Jean and Benjamin.

Wow. When Mathieu from Toykyo (you know that fine little store in Ghent that sells KNOTORYUS books & shirts -> hit ‘em up for christmas) told us they were producing a sculpture with Parra I knew it was going to be great…

I just didn’t know how great…

This is truly an amazing piece of art. No word yet on the cost or the availability, but I will try to get some answers from Mathieu. And I’m sure it will be on display at Toykyo soon.

Aahhhh. Look at it, nestling nicely in between the best of current design and illustration. All you need to do now, is snatch it up.

Starting today (August 5 – 2008), FACE EVERYBODY AND RULE, the first official KNOTORYUS book, will be available at the awesome TOYKYO store in Ghent.

Back cover.

Inside preview.

More previews and shop info after the jump.

+  The DeepretendingnottoknowanythingaboutLGFinterview! 

Toykyo-shop:
Hoogpoort 11
9000 Ghent – Belgium

info@toykyo.be

Tell ‘em to put a signed copy aside for you

tel +32(0) 473 990 509
tel +32(0) 499 417 938

So here it is:

The DeepretendingnottoknowanythingaboutLGFinterview.

What’s the book about?

LGF: Photography, illustrations and ideas that came out as drawings.

When I first read the name, I thought you were Russian.

LGF: Haha. No. I see many twisted frowns when people try to read “KNOTORYUS” out loud. Thus far, only one guy ever got it right without even blinking. He was pretty fried, though. Maybe that’s what did it.

But you do have good taste?

LGF: Who says Russians don’t have good taste? Aside from borsjt, maybe. And those male ice-skaters with way too much cleavage. What’s up with that?

There’s a rather disturbing drawing of someone’s balls being served on a plate. They looked old. Who’s got old balls then?

LGF: It’s a play on the ‘revenge is a dish best served cold’ cliché. You can imagine those balls belong to your annoyingly successful ex-lover, your boss or that guy on TV who just won’t shut up. These KNOTORYUS balls are for you.

What’s the best time ‘o’ day to flick through FACE EVERYBODY AND RULE?

LGF: 3 A.M. After you’ve been lying awake for hours. Your eyes are burning and the back of your brain is buzzing like an old fridge. Flick through our book, turn off the lights and let it all sink in. Aaaaah…sweet dreams.

More on Toykyo:

here

The previous month, we spent our money buying art…

When I was a lil’ ass girl, my mother made me appreciate the work of Kamagurka and Herman Brood. I never had the same ‘That’s beautiful. No, that’s sad. No, that shit is funny. No, I’m disgusted. Yeah, right.”-feeling with a lot of other artists. But Parra, he cracks me up. His stuff is incredible. I’m not the only one who thinks so. He collaborated with two -Mathieu & Jean- of the 3 most enlightened Belgian shop owners (the other one is Alice) on a fresh sticker pack. Stickers as in big ass A5-format prints. As in 35 of ‘em. As in only 500 boxes made and you get a signed and numbered & printed case. You pay 60somethingEuro. At Toykyo.

We also became the proud owners of very hard-to-get Kenzo Minami work. A bit more expensive. Only 25 made. Signed & numbered. Get to decorating!

When you’re making a TV-thing about style, beauty, savoir vivre and grace & you need the perfect host. ..

… Try calling topmodel An Oost.

That’s what we did.

I don’t know if she will help you out if you need something besides a room at her dope (you can sleep in your own ‘Hello Monsters’ room) bed&breakfast called Design&Breakfast. But she was cool enough to star in our show and she didn’t mind that we messed up the whole place with our muddy boots.

Afterwards we interviewed her man Mathieu Van Damme at his & his buddy Jean’s shop Toykyo/ckz.

A couple of weeks ago Mathieu was still camera shy (“I really do not want to talk too much on TV”) but today, it was a whole ‘nother story. After a monologue of 15 minutes about al the goods in his store we had to shut him up. This guy is such a fan of what he’s selling and that’s what will make this store a great success.

But in my humble opinion, what he can be most proud of at the moment are his new ltd edition, numbered & signed Kenzo Minami litographs. (read the KNOTORYUS Kenzo Minami interview here

I know that I need to do a whole new post about Kenzo’s work and I will, but in the meantime go check his website because he’s got fly new tees that will make you look more like a sophisticated hoodrat instead of a colourblind thug.

I promise, I will be able to tell you how much the above lithos cost real soon. Mathieu told me and I forgot, but I distinctly remember thinking “I love Kenzo’s work. This would be a great investment. Especially since Kenzo is gonna blow up like Busta’s neck done did”.

Read about Day #1

Read about Day #2

Kenzo Minami told us before: “I admire Mathieu Van Damme for his sweetness”. Today we met Mathieu for the first time, coz we’ll be filming him for a TV-show. He runs this superdope shop in Ghent called Toykyo. He sells Kaws shirts, Bearbrick toys & Parra Artwork…

I don’t know why, because we’ve been meeting so many amazing people that are really down-to-earth, but somehow I was kinda scared that he was going to be some Ispitonanythingthatisnotcool-kid. I couldn’t have been more wrong. We’ve only talked briefly but he is sooo nice and you could tell that he’s totally passionate about his work.

He travels to NYC and Japan and just buys the stuff he likes and then resells it in his shop. And it’s not even that expensive. Really.

A lot of the heads in Ghent know, so whenever he gets of the plane they raid his shop. So cool.

He also told me he and his partner have been working together with Parra on some new artwork which they will be selling from mid-October.

This is one of the coolest -DO NOT CALL IT STREETWEAR- shops in Belgium (another one is Fresh Kicks in BX Capitale).

He even stocks ‘Dear Diary’ by Lesley-Vice-Arfin. Le Grand Fromage and I, we read it and we totally disagree on the quality of the book (he loves it, me… well not so much. Maybe I expected a lot more) but it’s a must-read.

And if only we’d known, we wouldn’t have ordered it on Amazon, we would’ve bought it chez Mathieu. The cool dude.

(What did we buy today? Madlib CD & Peanut Butter Wolf DVD, new Lodown Magazine and custom-made Toykyo stickers. Remember: shop local!)