1 January 2024
CREATIVES INCLUDING DAREN NEWMAN, GUY MCKINLEY, HAMMO, LEI-MAI LEMAOW, MIKESIAN STUDIO, RP ROBERTS AND SUMIT SARKER WILL DESIGN ARTWORK FOR THE SMILEY SCULPTURES
Global art producer Wild in Art, and the original, globally recognised Smiley brand The Smiley Company, have entered into a creative partnership that will produce a SmileyWorld public art trail featuring sculptures of the fun, positivity-spreading emoticons.
The trail will debut in North Tyneside from January, 2024, where fifteen creatives have been tasked with interpreting, and responding to a range of emoticons including Daren Newman (Anxiety), Guy McKinley (Calmness), Hammo (Disgust), LeiMai LeMaow (Joy), Mikesian Studio (Sadness), RP Roberts (Fear), Sumit Sarkar (Anger).
Lei-Mai LeMaow, a multidisciplinary artist working in the digital and physical world, will be working with ‘Joy’ and has evoked a simple yet meaningful celebration of the feeling of joy found in a quiet companionship that enriches her days.
Illustrator and mural painter Hammo is working with ‘Disgust’ and has aimed to capture the primal, face scrunching, heave-inducing, full-body convulsion that comes when faced with a disgusting sight, revolting taste or a horrific smell, whilst for ‘Calmness’ illustrator Guy McKinley leant into nature, focussing on a moment in microcosm such as a late summer breeze that bends the head of a dandelion and the seeds are pushed on their way, a moment of calm in the wild.
The SmileyWorld trail is an exciting step in the evolution of Wild in Art and its ongoing mission to bring art out of the gallery and create shared experiences, whilst developing the next generation of artists. To date, Wild in Art has delivered over 130 public art trails, raising £26.3 million for charity partners across the world and has commissioned over 5.2k artists injecting £4.3m into local creative communities. In this iteration, the artwork is designed digitally and printed onto the sculptures, which has widened the pool of creatives to include illustrators and artists working in digital.
The Smiley Company’s goal is to spread positivity through smiles, to make the world a happier, kinder place. Throughout the last five decades, all of its collaborations, partnerships and experiences have laddered up to this ethos, and as the Smiley team looks ahead to the next fifty years and beyond, they’re constantly finding ways to show people how to smile back at the world.
This is the third Wild in Art trail to take place in and around North Tyneside since 2020, with the aim of driving footfall into town centres, supporting the local economy, whilst also encouraging families to get outdoors and active, and nurture an interest in art and creativity in the community. Morph’s Epic Art Adventure in 2022, saw around 60,000 people take part, using the bespoke app or printed map to track and unlock sculptures, both of which will be available for the SmileyWorld trail.
Nicolas Loufrani, CEO The Smiley Company, comments: “This collaboration marks a new chapter in public art, fostering shared experiences, supporting local economies, and nurturing a love for creativity in communities. Join us on this vibrant journey, where art, smiles, and a celebration of emotions converge for a brighter, happier world”
Charlie Langhorne, Managing Director and Co-founder of Wild in Art said: “This new collaboration with the SmileyWorld Company is extremely exciting for Wild in Art. It has enabled us to work with artists in a different way and highlight those working in illustration and digital. It’s really special to have such an incredibly talented array of creatives involved. Each sculpture connects emotions and art in a meaningful way offering visitors a new trail experience to explore.”
Contributing artist Lei-Mai LeMaow said: “I’m made up to have the opportunity to work with The Smiley Company and Wild in Art on creating a design for one of the SmileyWorld art trail sculptures. There’s no denying The Smiley Company’s iconic brand of happiness has resonated deeply within my artistic vision over the years. Contributing my own joyful flex to the unique canvas and emblem of cheerfulness is a real honour!”
The artists involved in the trail are: Daren Newman (Anxiety), Drew Millward (Excitement), Ele Zissou (Surprise), Elph (Confusion), Guy McKinley (Calmness), Hammo (Disgust), Hew Ma (Amusement), Kawafi (Adoration), Kelly Ma (Relief), LeiMai LeMaow (Joy), Matt Sewell (Pride), Mikesian Studio (Sadness), Milan Topolovic (Admiration), RP Roberts (Fear), Sumit Sarkar (Anger).
About Wild in Art
Wild in Art is the leading producer of spectacular public art events that entertain, enrich, inform and leave a lasting legacy. It brings together businesses and creative sectors with schools and local communities through the creation of uniquely painted sculptures.
Since 2008 Wild in Art has animated cities across the world including Sydney, Auckland, Cape Town and São Paulo, and created trails for the London 2012 Olympics, the 2014 and 2022 Commonwealth Games, Historic Royal Palaces, award-winning animation studio Aardman and Penguin Random House.
Wild in Art events have:
wildinart.co.uk | @wildinart | #wildinart
SMILEY BOILERPLATE / ABOUT US
Smiley has been spreading joy and optimism to generations since French journalist Franklin Loufrani created the trademarked brand in 1972. Originally a gesture to urge readers of the newspaper France-Soir to ‘Take the Time to Smile’, soon this ubiquitous symbol of happiness became the most recognised and important in graphic design.
In 1996 Nicolas Loufrani, son of Franklin, took over the helm, steering Smiley into the digital revolution. Creating a whole new way of communicating, he added a variety of facial expressions to the original Smiley – his emoticons are now sent around the world at infinitely.
Continuing to influence modern culture, Smiley is one of the world’s top global licensing enterprises collaborating on high-profile activities spanning fashion, art, homeware, food and beverage. Major partnerships include Loewe, Moschino, Raf Simons, Eastpak and LA-based Market, who produce the Market Smiley Baseball – a cultural icon.
Maintaining Smiley’s friendly mantra, Loufrani created Smiley Movement in 2017. The non-profit community works across multimedia platforms aiming to inspire positive change in society addressing urgent societal and environmental problems.
To celebrate 50 years, Smiley commissioned graffiti artist André Saraiva to reimagine the famous logo; created The Collector’s Edition with 50 streetwear designers; and brought back the original message ‘Take the Time to Smile’ – because what’s more inspiring and universal than a smile?