Toy Ocean; Out to See
Biography
kHyal is a multidisciplinary creative activator who uses art and design to raise awareness about climate action, nature conservation and human rights. Her fine art and design have been exhibited in the American Visionary Art Museum, Pictoplasma–Berlin, New Britain Museum of American Art, la Gaîté Lyrique–Paris, Outsider Art Fair–New York, Henry Boxer Gallery–London, Housatonic Art Museum, City Museum–Washington, D.C., Intuit–Chicago, EGGO Arte–Buenos Aires, Cooper Union and Miami Arts Week. The work has received media attention from Artforum, The New York Times, Nylon, Time Out New York, CBS Sunday Morning, NBC News, Fox News, HBO and Vice News.
Name
kHyal
Title
Chief Imaginator, MegaGlam® and Head fiZzicist, fiZz Agency
Interview with kHyal and Robin McLoughlin
kHyal is a visionary, tactile artist, just to name one creative skill, whom I recently met through her husband Karl Heine. I was so impressed with kHyal because of her broad skills, from digital strategy to design education to her focus on climate change and bringing its awareness to life through her art, which we have featured here.
Robin: Where do you look for inspiration these days?
KHyal: Coastal shorelines and the wealth of nature that inhabits them, thrift stores, urban environments where street art thrives, and architecture.
Robin: Who do you seek leadership advice from?
KHyal: I don’t so much seek advice but am a constant learner. “Redesigning Leadership” by John Maeda was a favorite read on leadership.
Robin: What are your hobbies and interests?
KHyal: I’ve never felt like a “hobbyist” but beyond my professional work in branding, design, illustration and art—horseshoe crab rescue and collecting plastic pollution from local beaches to use as art supplies for activism are activities I engage in frequently.
Robin: Which skills do you want to develop next?
KHyal: I am already heavily embedded in incorporating ChatGPT into my workflows and continue to develop those skills through advanced training and practice, including coding.
Robin: What is your favorite fine art medium and why?
KHyal: Things other people throw away. My fine art is primarily crafted from found plywood and ocean plastics, along with plastic toys I buy by the pound at a local thrift store outlet to keep them out of landfills and incinerators. I also gather other people’s leftover housepaint and buy secondhand art supplies over new ones whenever possible.
TOY OCEAN; OUT TO SEE
A Collaboration Amplifying the Need for Nature Conservation and Climate Action
For this project, kHyal and Karl collaborated to produce photography-based textiles for kHyal’s #ArtAsFashionAsArt streetwear brand MEGAGLAM® to address the problem of plastic pollution.
kHyal routinely walks the local beaches near their home collecting washed-up or forgotten plastic toys and objects, often joined by Karl, who photographs the objects in situ and documents the work. kHyal also uses the found plastics to create artworks exhibited in galleries, art fairs and museums.
Since 2007, kHyal and Karl have partnered on reuse initiatives ranging from vintage clothing, design and antique shops, and pop-up markets —to being judges for Hasbro’s Project Upcycle design awards and jurors for Material ConneXion’s sustainable materials library.
Credits
kHyal: concept, creative direction, wearable art and streetwear design
Karl Heine: photography and styling for use in noted textile design
