HOLLYWOOD, Calif. - The "Toys Kill" exhibit of work by Justice Howard and Jim Koch, opened Saturday at Meltdown Comics.
The exhibit features Howard's print-set series "Muses" and a collection of paintings and designs by Koch, who also has unveiled his new designer toy, the Gosha Doll by Super Rad Toys. Items on display are available for purchase.
The opening of the exhibit drew appearances by Brittany Andrews, adult starlet Michelle Aston and Howard's significant other Neil Turbin, who is regarded as the "first power vocalist of thrash metal." Also part of the festivities were burlesque shows, including performances with Natalie Minx in latex licking a lollipop and Victoria Vengeance soaked with blood in an old-fashioned claw-foot bathtub.
"The turnout was incredible, and I really enjoyed being alongside Jim Koch in the exhibit," Howard told AVN. "There were two fire trucks there, and the cops came twice because we had gone over capacity, so I consider that a great success."
Howard's prints cover a vast range of subjects, from rock star Dave Navarro to a former photography student named Kumiko.
"I really enjoy working with many different subjects not necessarily associated with the adult industry," she said. "Kumiko, for example, was a strikingly gorgeous photography student of mine that I was able to coerce in front of the camera, with amazing results.
"I think I use subjects that have a little more ‘isma' than others. People who are into more progressive and edgy art are drawn to what I do. The celebrities that I shoot are not at all what I would call boring, and you wouldn't catch me shooting someone like Tom Cruise. My women are very, very powerful figures, beautiful and larger than life."
Koch's work - evil-looking dolls with lolling eyes and paintings depicting psychos and killer clowns - balances Howard's work with its grit. While the two artists have different approaches to their work, Howard said, the combination makes for a powerful exhibition.
"[Koch is] a wonderful show partner, and the contrast was beautiful," she said.
The "Toys Kill" exhibit runs through Oct. 31 at Meltdown Comics at 7522 W. Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood. AVN Media Network is among the show's sponsors.
