Toronto-based artist TALWST creates miniature worlds inside of vintage jewelry boxes with scenes that touch upon art history, folklore, pop culture, and current events. While some of his miniature dioramas are humorous and lighthearted, others draw attention to pressing human rights crises. One scene depicts the police shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown, which sparked nation-wide protests against police brutality, while another piece alludes to the 43 missing college students of Ayotzinapa, whose murder illuminated the extent of government corruption in Mexico. The scenes in his sculptures are open-ended, however, and never didactic. Other works explore themes from Nubian legends, European art history, and even street art and hip-hop.
