Emilio Garcia is a sculptor and toy designer who began his artistic career in the motion graphics and multi-media realms. While pursuing those interests with prestigious companies such as Berlitz Kids, Hitachi, Diesel, and The North Face, he began to have concerns about the loss of appreciation for tangible, physical art. These concerns eventually led him to abandon the digital for the concrete, or in his case, plastic.

Global Warming Brain
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Fascinated by the creative possibilities of plastic, which is more durable and less expensive than many other sculptural media, Garcia founded the Secret Lapo Laboratories, where he experiments with plastic sculpture and three dimensional printing. His first big hit was the Jumping Brain, a human brain with frog legs that has become an extremely popular and iconic image. It is his delight to make imaginative pieces with his own hands which can then be produced on a larger scale. He has been able to use his connections in the business world to forge partnerships with companies like Limoges and Disney who can mass produce his original designs, as well as with artists like Paul Frank and Mark Ryden.

© lapolab in accordance with Fair Use Policy

© lapolab in accordance with Fair Use Policy

© lapolab in accordance with Fair Use Policy

After the Jumping Brain took off, Garcia began several projects on the theme of brains, which feature heavily in his artistic output. These include the Skull Brain series, the Brain Pattern series, and the ARThropod Brain series, which is comprised of combinations of insects and human brains. It may sound weird, but it is gorgeous and is a wonderful way of using technology to evoke the exotic variety of the bug collection. His newest creation, set to release very soon, is the BRAINADE, a figure made of resin in the shape of a brain and a grenade. Garcia’s irreverent and whimsical imagination and his knack for marketing are a true inspiration.

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