Toyist Dejo

Background

Toyist Dejo was born in the Netherlands and there is no more information about his background and even relatives.

Education

Dejo obtained university degrees in art and graphic design in the Netherlands.

Career

Dejo devoted his career fully to painting. He founded Toyism movement so his artistic career is closely interconnected with the development of the movement. The name toyism was created in 1990 when he made a graphic composition with the title “Escape of the Computer Spiders.” This graphic work consists of a powerful play of lines that merge into areas which on the one hand are standalone but on the other hand lead to entirely new forms. A playful display of colors and the combination of figurative and abstract forms forces the viewer to embark on a quest within the labyrinth of lines and colors. Large computers transform into spiders and are in search of reality. This and several similar works that followed were the origin of the toyism style in the early nineties.

But it took another two years, with even the game Super Mario playing a role, before the blend of characteristics and its symbolism radiated enough strength and energy to be described in a manifesto. That occurred on September 5, 1992, literally underground in a converted windowless cellar in the center of Emmen. Written with an old-fashioned pen, toyism and its notions of color, form, and technique officially saw the light of day. Dejo's secret manifesto of not more than a few A4s, legally authenticated, formed the basis of what was to become a new movement in art. Dejo's toyism style can be divided into two periods. Periods, which both artistically and personally differ greatly; the first period lasted about 7 years fron 1992 to 2000, and the second period is from 2002 up to the present.

The first period can most easily be described as a trio that often operated and functioned as a duo. Exhibitions were centrally organized from his gallery in Emmen. The figurative paintings were simplistic in design, in surrealistic themes, and often painted in lively and bright colors. An important element in this period was the recurrence of a fixed ‘logo’ (computer, space shuttle, teddy bear) in each painting. This recurring ‘logo’, which he later considered a limitation, is, in fact, one of the reasons that the style became recognizable. In a playful manner the logo was included in the theme; pole-vaulting space shuttles, or computers producing fried eggs.

On the other hand, some of the paintings were often referred to as childish. A statement made up by writer Wim van der Beek that was not shared at the time, but in hindsight appears to have a considerable basis of truth. After all, teddy bears are indeed a pretty common sight in nurseries and children’s rooms. For him personally, the first years have been important for the development of the style in order to reach the next level. The foundation had been laid but the style was still in the early stages and needed much more development. That development did occur, but only later with the arrival of new artists.

In 2002 the highly egocentric character that is deeply rooted in the arts became the basis for another ideology; the individual would play second fiddle to the group without sacrificing on the personal level or in quality. As the sole remaining advocate of toyism Dejo went in search of new sympathizers, much like he did in 1992; a mixed group of professional artists from around the world with diverse cultural backgrounds and working in various disciplines, who can influence and enrich the style and, importantly, who put the art in the forefront and not themselves.

As an artist, he has the privilege to tell his own story and depict it, and he is in the position to do so. That gives him a feeling of freedom. If you are able to combine this freedom with other soulmates a bond is created, an intrinsic magic that benefits and inspires each other. This was among other things the basis for the current toyism. A strong cooperation between people who can dissociate themselves from the ego that has too deeply penetrated the society. This is also the reason why all the current toyist artists paint under a pseudonym: they appear anonymous, yet form part of the toyism as a whole and collectively represent it.

In 2016 Toyism was more alive than ever. Dejo decided to begin a world trip in order to clear his mind and concentrate on his personal future and the future of Toyism. The journey was an eye-opener leading to global possibilities of Toyism. Traveling through other parts of the world made him discover ingredients and components, notions and working-methods, visions and ideas that would underline the movement and give it an international potency and multicultural support.

Traveling through different countries and continents opened his eyes. Suddenly he came to realize that by simply adjusting the existing structure he could transform the Dutch ‘Toyisme’, and worldwide ‘Toyism’ was born. Thanks to new media and the information superhighway it was only a small step towards globalization. They form the basis for a new strategy. Dejo returned to the Netherlands with new élan. From the city of Emmen, he starts to construct an international movement.

Achievements

• Toyist Dejo is distinguished for his paintings "Toy Travis", "Kasparov against Deep Blue", "Hearts of Giraffe is Trump Card", and "Lovebirds."

Works

More photos

• painting

  • The Sun Is in Love with the Moon (collaboration with Blaak)

  • The Palaces Empire

  • Kasparov against Deep Blue (collaboration with Jaf'r)

  • The Ship Conductor

  • Monkey, Note, Music! (collaboration with Alfago, Jaf'r and Fihi)

  • Damsels of Devastation

  • The Golddigger

  • Master of Puppets

  • Lovebirds

  • The Freakshow

  • The Golden Arc

  • Toy Travis

  • Irrawaddy Dolfins

  • Camouflage Cats

  • Hearts of Giraffe is Trump Card

Views

Toyist Dejo adheres to the artistic traditions of Toyism.

Quotations: "We focuse only on our creations, in which we leave our mark in the world as individuals, but we don’t reveal our identities. Each toyist picks one letter from the alphabet and creates a name for him/herself beginning with that letter. Therefore each toyist is known under a pseudonym and there can never be more than 26 toyists. That is why we always wear masks whenever we are working on a particular project."