In of a world of vinyl, wood is king! That's the belief behind Mimushi, the new wooden art toys that are meticulously crafted by hand, one by one. Mimushi is a 3-year-old character imported somewhere from Asia who was adopted by parents who up until now are unaware of his multiple, -and ever multiplying personalities. So far he has only exteriorly experienced his many facets (in vinyl), but this new series is the most haunting of all: the Dauntless Gatekeepers. This squadron of fearless sumo warriors lives in his brain, opening and closing the doors between his endless embodiments. They choose who to let out and who to let in. They hold part of the key that might one day set him free. And as a psychologist, I must say that this sounds totally intriguing!

Unknown concept artist blattke is the creator of the Mimushi character and his identities. After years of experience in the ad world, and while taking some art courses he saw a designer toy and quickly became an avid collector. Inspired on a childhood story of a clinical case he heard about a woman with a psychological disorder, he began cooking up ideas for a multiple personality character. He says about it: “The Mimushi story was actually born from a story I heard as a kid from a relative who is a psychiatrist. One of his patients had developed a multiple personality disorder and would turn into his entire family, representing his father, mother, uncles, aunts, cousins, brothers, sisters and worst-of-all, himself at different stages of his life. It was sad and fascinating at the same time, and it always stuck with me as a larger-than-life out-of-control insane (literally) mesmerizing experience. Mimushi shall turn out to be the representation of that through this series of urban vinyl art depictions”.

Although the Mimushi figures have similarities, none of them looks the same as the next one, making each piece as unique as it gets. Due to its meticulous process and dedication, they are only able to produce up to 80 a month; to date only 119 have been produced, and they’ve moved on to the next series. Quantities are very limited, and unlike other limited editions, this is not deliberate; it’s just the nature of it. You can even notice it by taking a look at their amazing hand crafted boxes that are a piece of art by themselves.

For the more curious of you, let’s take a look at the making process of the “Dauntless Gatekeepers” series that implies several techniques: wood carving and wheat straw veneering. First the wood is brought in from deep Amazon forest plantations. In order to carve the wood it needs to be humid, and as the process moves along, the wood starts drying. A piece of wood is cut to the approximate size of the figurine, then some basic straight cuts are created using carving tools or other carving elements to give its true form, and fine detail. By barely touching the object and using a drawing pencil, the motif is drawn on each wooden object. Once the figure is obtained, its outline is cut out in order to paste it onto the piece. They then carry out small cut-outs to delineate the drawing, and then apply a very thin film of lacquer. Wheat straw is opened using a scalpel and then levelled completely with a river stone. Afterwards, it is carefully pasted –stalk-by-stalk– over a tissue paper, until a plate is formed. Tincture may vary from raw to burnt look, creating different tonalities that highlight parts of the design, and heated at different levels to darken it. The decorative sheathing is obtained using an inlaying technique with the previously sanded and painted wheat straw by applying very thin layers over the wood, and paying meticulous attention to the steady hold of the veneer and the conservation of the figurines.

Mimushi design was formed in 2007 to bring in the collective efforts of local Miami artists, most of them with Hispanic heritage. As the art scene was evolving, Mimushi design brought artists together to develop the many personalities behind the Mimushi character, which had been in the works since 2004.  Due to the intricacy of the process, and the low quantities that can be produced, the figurines are currently available online, but will also be exhibited at different art shows & galleries across the country. So, in case you fancy a Mimushi for your home, be in a hurry before it gets transformed into another personality!