Check out Mist's interview for the Devilo Erectus release !

Lucius, Devilo Erectus... It was time to talk a little more about Mist, an artist we love a lot at Artoyz. From its beginnings in the 90s to its recent work, little recap of the story of one of the most important French urban artist.

Artoyz : Hello Mist. What a pleasure to meet you and ask you some questions. Your style has made you known all over the world and you have exhibited very early alongside great names in art such as Basquiat, Futura, Haring... Can you tell us more about that ?

Mist : Of course, I am contemporary with all those illustrious [alongside whom I was exposed] in 91 at the National Museum of French Monuments (n.d.r.l: Graffiti Art : American and French Artist, 1981-1991). I was just starting, they needed the younger generation. On the other hand, I had the chance to meet Futura on some dates in common. It's an open book, an example of sharing and humility, a mentor for me without a doubt. Which pushes me to ask you to define my style for me...

Easy Learning - 197 x 114 cm - 2017

Artoyz : Can you go back to your label Bonustoyz and this desire to get into designer toys at the dawn of the 2000s (and this before everyone else) ?

Mist : In the mid-90s, I was already working on resin figurines, but there were too many breaks in shipments so we instinctively turned to plastic, but the minimum production quantities were beyond us. It was only a few years later when he discovered the work of Michael Lau, published in reasonable quantities, that he followed suit and gave birth to Bonustoys.

Artoyz : We are not our first collaborator and Devilo Erectus has taken longer than expected to go out. Can you explain the genesis of this collaboration and the difficulties that have been encountered with this figurine ?

Mist : Argh ! it's true Devilo Erectus is a late riser... I give Artoyz the first prototype in general, it's full resin, which can lead to slight problems when we go into hollow plastic production, the repartions of masses are different which causes imbalances, especially when we decide to do hold on his tail, he had to make and make over again to get what we wanted. Artoyz is always very enthusiastic about the design of the prototypes but also a little worried about the possibility of editing. As Michael (n.d.l.r : The Artoyz' boss !) says, "The Mist's toys are never easy" ... [laughs]

Artoyz : If you had to define Devilo Erectus in a few words, what would you say ?

Mist : Big head-small body, it's my balance so when I want to gain height. I also take a lot of volume or I stand on his tail ... So I offer him more freedom of movement, I like the idea that everyone can find a position that suits him, it is for me the whole interest of the articulated figure.

Devilo Erectus - Mist x Artoyz Originals - 2019

Artoyz : You are a world-renowned artist, oscillating between exhibitions and figurines. Of course you must have many other skills. What challenge do you want to start now ?

Mist : It's true, I didn't celebrate my 30 years of service... I took paths and paths ... Now we must stabilise a little to accelerate without necessarily changing direction. Oh, wait ! I have to work on my selfies and everything and everything...

Artoyz : Besides, what do you think of the democratization of urban art and the many bridges made with other disciplines such as music, fashion, food...?  And you, are you comfortable in all this ?

Mist : It's great !!! Even if there is a confrontation between my graffiti past who regrets the comfort of the underground culture and the toy designer show off who seeks a maximum of visibility in order to grow and move forward ... My life is so complicated !!!

Artoyz : The last word ?

Mist : We're already working on the next...

Let It Rough 2 - 114 x 80 cm - 2018

Credits : Mist / Nicolas Pinelli / Artoyz