Ryo Toyonaga Exhibit

Ryo Toyonaga’s exhibit, Mindscapes, at the Mishkin Gallery immediately brought to mind works of art produced by Dali in terms of the surrealistic style. All of his works in the exhibit shared a common theme. Each work centered around some sort of industrial contraption excreting pollutants and seemingly clashing with the surrounding environment. Each work appeared depressed and cold as if life itself was fading from each work. Some of the works contained whimsical creatures that looked like organs with human appendages in a style reminiscent of illustrations by Dr. Seuss.
Two works in specific, both untitled, feature surreal depictions of what appear to be a nuclear reactor destroying the environment and a city of skyscrapers doing likewise.
In the piece depicting a nuclear power plant, the cones of four reactors are seen with pipes protruding from all areas. The pipes eject grey smoke while the reactors ooze red lava upon the ground. The ground surrounding the reactors is brown, burnt, and polluted. Trees are void of leaves and the lake in the background is nearly black. The sun appears to be setting on the dying environment.
The piece featuring the city of skyscrapers is not so different either. The terrain surrounding the city is again barren and toxic looking. The city is built upon an ant mound-like structure. As in the previous work, pipes spew smoke while the bases of the building drip a red ooze onto the soil.
Upon further research of the artist I found that Toyonaga themed much of the exhibition around the atomic bomb era and atomic energy. I can agree that the theme behind most of the art in the exhibit gave the feeling of a post-apocalyptic world or one which has experienced a nuclear holocaust in which confusion runs rampant and the deterioration of society has occurred. Another perspective could be of the destructive nature of mankind and the industrialization of Earth.
As with most art exhibits the message the artist wishes to convey usually
isn’t immediately available and requires thought and interpretation by the observer. At first I felt the exhibit was mediocre and imitational of Dali. Upon further thought I changed my mind and realized Toyonaga has quite a unique and interesting style in his exhibition of Mindscapes.