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Monday, November 4, 2019

DesignerCon 2019 Comin' Up Fast

In a few weeks it'll be the time honored tradition of when people come together and give thanks. Thanks for cool weird looking toys to put on then their desks. Very soon, it'll be DesignerCon or simply put DCon, the annual hard to classify with a simple name convention, but essentially all the cool stuff you're older brother has in his room will be there. (It's a designer toy convention with a lot of pop art.) It also devoted to pins, art prints, plushies and clothes.

Yup, DCon is back and once again too big for the confides of Pasadena, though we did love it there. So much easier to access good food and catch a movie. Now it's in

ANAHEIM

specifically the Anaheim Convention Center, enjoy the parking...it usually sucks. And, well lack of anything else that's easy access.

What doesn't suck is all the different artists and companies showing off their latest creations and special items out for the convention.  Last year, we snagged some designer toys from Japan we were spying online and even a Reptar Bar made real. Yes, it did turn our mouth green.

This year sees a major push from some of our favorite artists we've seen in Hi-Fructose magazine over the years. It's called Little Eden and explores the art world that many of the designers also work in. It's from the fine folks of Thinkspace Projects, which we cover all the time in our Weekly What To Do Section. Essentially, it's a section devoted to art from pop culture and modern artists.

Here's some of the events sights going down this year from the press release:


Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse VR Tunnel by Sutu, Sponsored by Sony Animation

Grossing over $350 million worldwide, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse made one of the biggest impacts on popular culture of any movie in the past year. For 2019, Sony has partnered with DesignerCon to showcase a glitch art tunnel drawing attendees into the Spider-Verse themselves with a cutting-edge VR tunnel, featuring original art and animation from the groundbreaking film. The work has been created by famed VR and comic book artist Sutu and is sponsored by Sony Animation. 

Exclusive Bearbricks by MEDICOM, Benefitting the Andy Warhol Foundation

Returning for the second year in a row, MEDICOM will immerse attendees in a jaw-dropping array of merch hard to find outside of Japan. The company will be providing VIPs with an exclusive and limited-edition Bearbrick of the DesignerCon mascot. Artists Luke Chueh, Joe Ledbetter, Tristan Eaton, Kano, Scott Tolleson, and Steven Harrington are also teaming up with MEDICOM to release custom-designed Bearbricks exclusively available at the convention on a first come, first serve basis. Sales of the exclusive Bearbricks will benefit the Andy Warhol Foundation.

Hamilltoon: The Many Voices of Mark Hamill — A Fan Art Show

A themed art show this year will honor the Jedi Master himself, Mark Hamill, with an art show curated by Carman Acosta aka Jane Dope, titled Hamilltoon: The Many Voices of Mark Hamill. Mark Hamill is scheduled to appear to check-out the art and celebrate the release of the DesignerCon exclusive Mark Hamill Funko Pop ONLY available at DesignerCon.

Beyond Eden: A New Showcase of Lowbrow, Pop Surrealist & Outsider Art

On the heels of Littletopia that drew crowds at the LA Art Show, Beyond Eden is spearheaded by Thinkspace Projects founder Andrew Hosner, as a way to connect DesignerCon attendees directly to the larger art world. Many artists who are prominent in the designer toy realm also have thriving fine art careers. Picking up where Greg Escalante’s Littletopia left off, Hosner’s Beyond Eden will be exhibiting many of the artists DCON attendees already know and love, plus the galleries who rep them, and other artists in their repertoire.

The inaugural archway welcoming attendees into the new section will be designed by Carlos Ramirez, formerly of The Date Farmers artist collective. Galleries that will be part of this year’s programming include: Thinkspace Projects, La Luz De Jesus, KP Projects, Dark Art Emporium, Modern Eden Gallery, and the Tierra Del Sol Foundation.

New Book Debut by Camille Rose Garcia

Beloved pop surrealist artist Camille Rose Garcia will release her long-awaited book, The Cabinet of Dr. Deekay, at this year’s convention, along with book signings and limited edition prints. The vivid colors that animate her cute but macabre visuals have anointed her as one of the most distinct voices in the pop surrealist movement, alongside titans like Mark Ryden, iconic pop surrealist, and the surrealist painter Lenora Carrington. Following its debut, the book will be available on Amazon.com, at Barnes & Noble, and at CamilleRoseGarcia.com.

Secret Walls

Secret Walls is returning to DesignerCon with a new kind of art battle. Bigger than ever, the competition between teams will go on for the entire weekend, and for the first time ever, DCON attendees will be able to vote for their favorite mural.

CONVENTION DATES
November 22 - 24, 2019

VIP Night | November 22, 5pm - 9pm
General Entry | November 23, 10am - 7pm
General Entry | November 24, 10am - 6pm

TICKETS
https://tickets.designercon.com/purchase.html
Anaheim Convention Center
800 W. Katella Ave, Anaheim, CA 92802