Artist Kerry Lee is relatively new to the custom toy scene, but she has already developed a signature look. She brings a touch of glamour to her creations with the use of brightly colored sequins. Her sparkling Munnys and Dunnys show a careful attention to detail and an endless supply of patience. With her high level of craftsmanship, she shows that a Munny or Dunny isn’t just a toy. It’s a piece of art. As a self-trained artist and gallery co-owner, Kerry Lee is an inspiration to the next generation of artists.
She didn’t take the traditional path from art school to gallery. She says, “I didn’t attend art school. All I know about art is self-taught.” That knowledge was enough for her to become a full-time artist. She started the APW Art Group with her partner Hans Yim. (APW stands for A Perfect World.) They wanted to open a gallery in New York, so they decided to start the APW Gallery. Since opening, their gallery has shown several custom toy exhibits. They both participated in the current exhibit: the Black & White group show.
At APW’s World of Imagination show, Lee showed a gold-sequined Dunny and a silver-sequined Munny. She refers to the first as the “Golden Armour Dunny” because she was inspired by the movie When Golden Armour Covers the Entire City (also known as: The Curse of the Golden Flower). If you have seen the movie, you understand how appropriate the name is. Her silver Munny is based on “Devra,” a character she created. She is currently working on a new website that will feature pictures of Devra.
If you think it’s easy to create these bejeweled toys, you would be wrong. Each creation took about two days to complete. Both were listed at the APW store, but they have been sold.
Lee says she has been customizing toys for about a year. She started for a simple reason: “I found toys to be very interesting, and they make my art even more fun.” Her favorite toys include Gloomy Bear and her character Devra.
It looks like she will have a busy summer filled with various exhibits. At the APW Gallery, she will be involved with the following group shows:
- NYC Munny Contest (end of June)
- 16″ Qee group show (end of June)
- Square Foot show (July)
- Di Di Mei Mini Release (August 22)
In addition to these, she will also participate in other group shows. If you’d like to purchase more of her art pieces, you can visit this link. Her Future Teller Mini-Munny is still available at Pink Ghost. We’re eagerly waiting for a glimpse of her character, Devra. ToyCyte will keep you updated on Kerry Lee’s future shows and artwork.
Update: Kerry Lee’s website is now online - KerryLee.net
June 6th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
Cool to read about the peeps behind APW!
June 11th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
It was awesome to learn more about her work.
November 18th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
digging your creativity and execution on these pieces you have shown…
JAY222
AOA
ARMY OF ARTISTS