Brian McCarty (born July 22, 1974)[1] is a
contemporary artist and photographer known for his work with toys.[2] McCarty's approach is based upon integrating toy characters into real-life situations through the use of forced perspective in carefully crafted scenes.[3][4] Preferring to work in-camera and without compositing, McCarty creates his photographs by sometimes traveling to exotic locations,[5] including active war zones.[6] Although grounded in reality, because of his use of wit and whimsy, McCarty's work is often associated with the
Art-Toy,
Lowbrow, and
Pop Surrealist movements.[7][8]
Career
Education
McCarty attended
Parsons School of Design (1992–1996) and earned a
BFA in photography.[9] While at Parsons in 1993, he began work on a photographic series titled The Dollhouse. For the series McCarty constructed a toy hyperreality and used the simulacra of family to explore modern living.[10]The Dollhouse received notable praise – earning a spot in the traveling exhibition Making It Real, curated by
Vik Muniz.[11][12]
Fabrica
Upon graduation from Parsons in 1996, McCarty accepted a grant to the
Benetton supported
Fabrica research centre in Treviso, Italy.[13] While there he collaborated with an international group of young artists on a number of
advertising campaigns and fine art exhibitions, including Habitus, Abito, Abitare, Progetto Arte at the
Luigi Pecci Centre for Contemporary Art and KONEPT, the first major photographic exhibition in
Zagreb after the
Croatian war of independence.[14]
Mattel
McCarty worked as an in-house photographer for
Mattel Toys (1999–2002), primarily on the
Hot wheels brand of toys.[15]
McCarty began the War-Toys photo series and documentary film in 2010.[21] The project uses principles of
play therapy and
art therapy to explore children's firsthand accounts of war.[22] McCarty completed his first trip to the Middle East in 2011,[23] collaborating with children from the
Spafford Children's Center in East Jerusalem and the
Dheisheh Refugee Camp outside of Bethlehem. He returned to the region in late 2012 and collaborated with Palestinian children in the
Gaza Strip during the escalation leading up to
Operation Pillar of Defense, then with Israeli children in the nearby town of
Sderot beginning on the morning of the ceasefire.[24] McCarty has announced his intention to expand the project into additional areas on conflict around the world, including
Sudan,
Afghanistan, and
Colombia.[25]
Selected exhibitions
"Juger/Créer: Regards sur la Cour Pénale Internationale," Cité internationale des arts, Paris, France (2018)
"War is Only Half the Story: Ten Years of the Aftermath Project," PhotoVille, Brooklyn, NY (2017)
"-Métamorphoses," L'Université de Franche-Comté,
Besançon, France (2017)
"Turn the Page: The First Ten Years of Hi-Fructose," Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, Virginia Beach, VA (2016)