German artists Coarse of Hamburg and Hong Kong have created two vinyl figurines depicting a rabbit crossed with a monkey and a human character dressed as a rabbit.
Called False Friends, the limited-edition toys are part of a series of figurines that tell a story.
This 13 inches-tall pair represent a human-like character called Noop who tries to befriend his enemy, a monkey crossed with a rabbit called Paw!, by dressing like a rabbit.
Here's some text from Coarse:
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false friends – life of lies
coarse double art figure release
coarse unveils their long anticipated 'false friends' series, a set of two original vinyl statues. The release incorporates key coarse characters 'paw!', a monkey cross rabbit, and 'noop', a human like being, as they portray another episode in the ongoing coarse story. This time the dissimilar pair aspire to become companions - even at the price of their own identities. Demonstrating the underlying complexity of the brand, this series delivers yet another dimension to the world of coarse.
The German artist duo behind coarse, once again showcase their distinctive aesthetic. Their forms are dominated by smooth curves, hard lines and sharp edges, combined to point of a unity. In past years, coarse has become renowned for its definitive style, its meticulous attention to detail and the vivid dreamscapes painted by its story line. Recent coarse releases have almost always sold out instantaneously, and the scope of the latest offering proves why the brand has such an increasing worldwide presence amongst art toy and fine arts collectors.
In this chapter of the coarse narrative, the young noop begins to mimic the appearance of his natural enemy, paw!, a tactic to secure his own survival. However, after being acknowledged as a paw!, the noop becomes trapped behind this mask forever. A dangerous and fragile friendship takes its course.
This rare edition includes 'the colossal paw! and a freshly hatched noop, robed in his heavenly soft paw! suit.' The 13'' vinyl pair comes in glowing spring colors, put to sleep between two cotton pillows, every one embroidered with the individual running number. Safely packed in a hand crafted wooden box with a monkey rabbit nose handle and enclosed with a rubberband.
Limited to 200 pieces.
About the artists
Works for the coarse world began in 2003, when German artists Mark Landwehr and Sven Waschk started a distinct style of sculpting that looked almost as if they had chiseled and exposed the figures from three dimensional stone. The streamlined sculptures are hand crafted and finished at the coarse workshops in Hamburg and Hong Kong. The artists focus primarily on statues, that range from small to life size, made from resin and/or fiberglass. Their work also includes photography, prints and objects, combining all aspects to create holistic pieces of art. Pieces that convey an alternate reality. A fiction brand.
By using traditional toy production techniques, the original art objects, 'coarse originals', are transformed into vinyl figures under the 'coarsetoys' imprint. Living in two separate cultures, the artists blend eastern and western aesthetics, a possible explanation for the brand's popularity worldwide. coarse figures are currently available in art toy stores and galleries across 18 countries worldwide. After several successful solo exhibitions in recent years, coarse goes on to display new and original works in Paris and Chicago in 2010.