This Is Not A Toy Exhibition Curated by Pharrell

Design Exchange, Toronto’s Design Museum, presents This Is Not A Toy, curated by John Wee Tom and DX Associate Curator Sara Nickleson with Guest Curator Pharrell Williams. This unprecedented exhibition showcases contemporary sculptures, figurines and artworks created by master tay artists including Takashi Murakami, KAWS, Coarse, Huck Gee and FriendsWithYou.

The exhibition of contemporary art and collectible design explores toys as a contemporary cultural signifier. On view until May 19, This Is Not A Toy transforms the Exhibition Hall into a candy-colored dream world, displaying both tiny figures and massive freestanding sculptures. They are calling this the world’s first large-scale exhibition dedicated to urban vinyl as contemporary art.

“Pharrell’s involvement is really due to the fact that he’s so passionate about the genre and explains that urban vinyl and collectible design is what brought him into the world of contemporary art.”

– Shauna Levy // Design Exchange President

A shimmering centerpiece is “The Simple Things,” (above) a collaboration between Williams, acclaimed Japanese artist Takashi Murakami and Jacob the Jeweler. It features miniature jewel-encrusted goodies, including a ketchup bottle, cupcake and bag of chips — some of the musician’s personal favorite things — nestled inside the oversized head of a colorful, cartoon-like character.