Making Eye Statements: Loving Monsters

“I don’t really care much for the idea of ‘normal’ –

that’s very abstract to me.

I think that perfection is practically unattainable

but imperfection is right at hand.

So that’s why I love monsters:

because they represent a side of us

that we should actually embrace and celebrate.”

- Guillermo del Toro,

Mexican-American Film Director

A change of pace this week: I recently spent a delightfully bizarre afternoon experiencing At Home With Monsters, Guillermo del Toro’s current exhibit at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) in Toronto. (On display until January 7, 2018. Link.)

Del Toro is a well-known film director with a taste for monsters, ghoulies, and the macabre. I’m not a huge fan of his movies (Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth, The Devil’s Backbone, etc.), but I do enjoy his creative process and the byzantine complexities of his mind. He embraces the twisted elements of our personalities, seeing them as worthy of celebration. He feels we cannot fully embrace our humanity without also acknowledging our inherent nastiness. Or, as he puts it, “Inspiration is a monster.”

One of his passions is collecting art work inspired by classic horror films, as well as props from his own frightening movies. The AGO exhibit features objects from this collection, all set against intensely red walls. What fun it was to wander around the exhibit with my camera! (Non-flash photos were encouraged.) It was like watching a very scary movie, knowing you could squeal and squirm, yet ultimately walk away from the monster’s embrace.

Or could you? Could you really escape the power of these creatures? Are they really twisted images of our selves, waiting to take over our psyches? Perhaps one day I will write about the evils within. For now, enjoy these photographs from Guillermo del Toro’s fabulous mind.