Team Macho
Team Macho is a collaborative art collective comprised of members Nicholas Aoki, G. Stephen Appleby-Barr, Christopher Buchan, Lauchie Reid and Jacob Whibley. Based in Toronto, Ontario, Team Macho creates artwork that bridges the gap between fine art practice and illustrative content. Frustrated by the lack of freedom imposed at their various training institutions, the founding members of Team Macho looked to each other to invigorate, challenge and inform each other’s processes. Team Macho felt that they had much to say and didn’t want to be restrained by the industry of art direction and publishing. When they graduated, Team Macho sequestered themselves in a large studio and brought on a fifth member. Using a hugely diverse array of media in their work including, watercolor, gouache, coloured pencil, graphite, acrylic, alkyd, oil, airbrush, silkscreen, block printing and ink, the group devised a working strategy based on the principles of spontaneity, gentle aggression, and outright sabotage. Considering every piece of work to be some form of experiment, the group agreed to set no rules other than “Never be bored.” Endless amounts of back-and-forth joking, discussion, argument, and compromise developed into an ongoing document, a diary of sorts, of their time together and of the interactions that took place in the members’ day-to-day lives.
Several of the members had been selfpublishing their work for a time and had developed a supportive and interested audience. A very unique and forward minded gallery, Magic Pony, who were encouraging and interested in the group, found their self-published work. Team Macho’s first exhibition “Friends 4 Life” was staged shortly thereafter and sold successfully. Interestingly, that exhibition established the group in the commercial sector, accepted on their own terms as “artists” and not illustrators. A successful partnership with Magic Pony resulted in the exhibitions “Team Macho is a Tough Man,” “Fancy Action Now” as well as the art book of the same name, and “Kitschy, Gay, and Over in a Second.” In addition to showing extensively in Toronto, the group’s work has been featured in solo and group shows in Amsterdam, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Montreal, Bordeaux and Berlin.
What follows is a verbatim transcript describing the formation of Team Macho, in the words of founding member Nicholas Seiji Aoki:
“One day, Lauchie and I were walking in the OAK FOREST and met a giant woman. ‘I am Stephen,’ she said ‘and I am a Unicorn Huntress!.’ ‘So what?’ I said, choking on the smell. ‘Let’s attack things together!’ said the OGRE WOMAN. ‘Have you been eating garbage meat?’ we asked. ‘I have a laser spear,’ she replied. ‘BAD. ASS.’ said Lauchie. WE continued along until we found a horrible thing. It was a mix between an Ape, a Rock and a Truck. ‘What are you doing, WEIRD THING?’ we asked. ‘I try catch squirrel in cup,’ it said, indicating a nearby paper sack and pebble. ‘This is freaking me out badly,’ said Lauchie while he stroked his panther. ‘He has pretty hair,’ offered Stephen. ‘Me can punch bear in face until face go away,’ said the thing to the sack. ‘You’re hired,’ I said. ‘Let’s call it BUCKY,’ said Stephen. ‘Shut up, Stephen,’ said Lauchie. ‘I love you,’ said Bucky. ‘Whatever,’ I said. Together we rode the GREAT SNAIL to AWESOME CITY. Beneath the Floating Castle of Inflated Opinion, we came upon a withered stump, muttering about a conspiracy of cubes and dancing like a broken slide-rule. ‘My name is JACOB and I haven’t spoken to anyone in 200 years,’ he said. ‘WELL, we’re sorry to break your roll but we were just leav–‘ Lauchie started. ‘Want to hear a joke?’ Jacob blurted. ‘NO!’ we shouted. ‘What’s green and invisible?’ Silence followed. ‘This cabbage,’ said Jacob, indicating to his empty hand. ‘Me hate you,’ said Bucky. ‘Do you crave treasure, Angular Stump Man?’ I asked. ‘Does a bear shit in the woods?’ replied Jacob. ‘Not if my mouth gets there first!’ chimed Stephen. A scary wind arose, and Team Macho was born.”