Artist Research: Toby Allen

TOBY ALLEN artist research

I looked at this artist as he is related to my theme of work.

Initially, I wanted to portray mental illnesses as shadows that are trying to harm you, through expression, gestures and actions. As my project progresses, I think that by making these monsters more physical, the illnesses can become more vivid and realistic. And Toby Allen is an artist who has and who turns mental illnesses into monsters with clear shapes, forms and colours.

Real Monsters by Toby Allen

According to Toby Allen’s website (Toby Allen. 2013. Real Monsters. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.zestydoesthings.com/realmonsters#_=_. [Accessed 31 October 2016].), the aim of his project is to raise awareness about mental health, he also wants to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illnesses and the victims of those illnesses and he also wants to educate more people about lesser known mental illnesses.

I wanted to know more about his process as well as the concept, meanings and style, so I have recently contacted him through his website, and right now I’m waiting for his reply so this section is likely to be updated.

Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean that it’s not real. My aim is to raise awareness, just like Toby Allen. But personally, for this project, I also want to focus on both the victims (their mood, emotions, postures and social life) and the monsters as well as the effects of they have on these people. I want to make it obvious to people who can’t seem to understand mental illnesses and how it affects the people that have them as people still take mental health as a not-very-serious matter, and they tend to say things without caution that sometimes might hurt the victims, such as ‘stop being sad’ and etc. by making these monsters really physical and real that they can make physical contact and do physical harm to ones that bear the evil seeds inside them planted by these monsters.

For this research, I’m going to focus more on monster creation and concepts behind the monsters that come from my imagination and how mental illnesses can be seen as these monsters. 

Original sketches

Afterwards, I also explored how these parasitic monsters can latch themselves onto their host.

Artwork by me / Nathan Vo