“They raise the dogs with no concern for their health or any sort of hygiene. The dogs spend everyday in wire cages that are filthy. They are turned out despite being genetically over-bred and suffering mutations.”

~ Magmo

By Rachel Ghansah  |  Send to Friend

Magmo is here to help. Magmo is here to destroy. In person, Magmo is rather tall and somewhat formidable. His attitude, though, is that of a tempered giant: The word 'destroyer' hardly comes to mind. But for Magmo, destruction is not so much about violence as it is an aggressive approach to eliminating all the ills of world: Oppression, Corruption, Violence, Big Business, Greed, Hazards, War, Discrimination, Apathy, Pollution, Urban Sprawl, Addiction, and Racism. Possessed by a Peter Parker-like call for action, he is not at all daunted by the enormity of his enemies -- whom he refers to as "The Bad Things" -- and their diabolical leader, "The BadMoFo." The "BadMoFo" is a winged, overweight devil with dollar signs on his fingers and a crown of battle-axes and a broken heart on his head. Magmo is not at all daunted by them. Instead, he wages war against them with his illustrations and his skate decks, T-shirts, plush toys and a legion of Puppy Mill warriors. The man has a talent and a penchant for destruction.

Magmo is the product of a single mother household where it was often hard to make ends meet and dollars stretch. He credits this as one of the reasons why he developed his elastic imagination and desire to reveal the injustices that attack the poor. After going to school in Boston for graphic design and illustration he decided to meld his
training with his personal convictions. He began creating a wild style of art that actively seeks to educate and interest. This Friday the exhibit " Puppies are Biodegradable"
showcasing eight of his pieces and wall-sized mural will open at the F.U.E.L Collection in Old City. We recently sat down with his wife Tomoko and discussed dog mills, anger and Marvel Comic's characters.

RKG: So what exactly are the Puppy Mills, dog breeding factories, or places that do experimental testing on puppies?
Magmo: You have a dog?
RKG: Yeah.
Magmo: Well, how did you get him?
RKG: I have one of those fantastic mutt dogs that are created when their future pa jumps the fence. He is a pit and boxer mix.
Magmo: Yeah, those dogs are great. But most dogs are bought in stores, you can even order them now on-line. There are huge demands for certain breeds, like the new trendy dog and many of those dogs come these mills. These places come from a place, a point of view, that is completely for profit. They raise the dogs with no concern for their health or any sort of hygiene. The dogs spend everyday in wire cages that are filthy. They are turned out despite being genetically over-bred and suffering mutations. They basically manufacture thousands of dogs that will be eventually sent on to pet stores and boutique
sellers, if they survive the mills.
Tomoko [Magmo's wife]: People think it is cute. But they overlook the industry behind it. They just see a cute dog but it is big business.
Magmo: People don't know where their dogs come from and they don't think to ask.
RKG: So how did this show come about? Is it new art or did the idea for the "Puppy Mill Warriors" series come to you before?
Magmo: The idea started when our old dog Whiskey, a cocker spaniel, passed away and we were looking to get a new dog. We decided to get a rescue dog, and in the process we discovered that many of the rescue dogs have been rejected from these mills. This is a large industry and it is pretty profitable because they don't think about the dogs' welfare,
cleanliness or health. So our new dog ,Dino, was from one of these places and you can totally tell. He has this big, bizarre overbite and few other strange things going on.
Tomoko: He has a huge overbite. There are some major things going on. It is pretty funny. He is, like, seven inches tall and twenty inches long. We sometimes call him "hoagie".
Magmo: So it came from that -- thinking about our dog and the conditions he came from in a mill in Minnesota.
Tomoko: Missouri.
Magmo: Yeah, Missouri and then we took a trip to New York and ended up going to the Westminster Dog Show and seeing these totally pampered dogs. Those dogs are, like, the pinnacle of dog breeding and it is crazy. Many of those dogs live better than people. So, it came from seeing that and thinking about how my dog lived in an absolutely inhumane
situation. Then Jen Yaron of the F.U.E.L collection approached me and said she really liked my work and wanted me to be a part of the show.
RKG: So the "Puppy Mill Warriors" series was already done?
Magmo: Yeah, it's a series from before. I took our friend's dogs and put them into this gang of illustrated characters that go back and are sort of attackers of the mills. My dog Dino is in the gang so you can see him.
RKG: So the "Puppy Mill Warriors" are characterized versions of real dogs?
Magmo: They are real. They aren't fictionalized at all.
RKG: So how did you get interested in artistically approaching issues of social justice in this very aggressive way? I have a really tiny art collection, and one of the things that stood out about your work was how active and aggressive it is. It leaps out, not only in design but also in the message: It almost forces your viewer to respond or engage.
Magmo: I see my work as being a way to show people -- especially young people -- what the issues are. That is why I design skate decks and plush toys. A lot of my work [involves] things that shouldn't remain on the wall. It encourages not just collection but also function. Like, the plush toys can be emptied and ideally it can be stuffed with recycled fabric. For me, it's important that sensible practical ideals get a cool factor.
RKG: Are you really into comics? Because your work almost has an "X-Men" feel to it. I don't want to say 'comic book' because it isn't really 'comic book' -- but they both are seemingly simple but are actually really loaded.
Magmo: It is cool, a lot of people see the comic book connection. They attract your attention and, really, I want my art to appeal to the younger kids in that kind of way, because I'd first like to raise their awareness. But it seems like people of all age groups enjoy the art and see the point. It is obviously open to all, [but] I am very motivated by the idea that I can show another option to someone who is at an impressionable age. I have been in so many shows where parents have come up to me and said how much they love the GMO (Genetically-Modified Organism) Monster because their kids eat totally shit foods and refuse to see how disgusting and dangerous it is.
RKG: I agree and now I feel really gross drinking this swag caffeinated shit. I hate being called out: It's just so easy to buy these things.
Magmo: I just gave it to you! I drink them. I just painted a mural in one straight, very caffeinated day. It is not that you can't eat those things it is just you have to be aware, or at least conscious, of what you are eating.
RKG: So, besides this F.U.E.L show, where can we see Magmo next?
Magmo: The next show is in Rhode Island next week. It is a series called "Save Ocean."
Tomoko: It happens on Friday the 13th [of July].
Magmo: That's right. And the curators will be giving away a sponsor-filled beach bag that can be recycled for a bunch of beach uses.

Before he goes, Magmo hands me green stickers that militantly read " RECYCLE YOUR LIFE" and somehow I am not at all offended. Magmo and Tomoko, it turns out, are here to help.