Toby Leon

History Repeating

Born in Sydney, Toby spent his childhood surrounded by artists, oddballs, and academics. They taught him to question everything — respectfully and without fear.

Their coffee-table books inspired his love of art and design. Vigorous debates over citywide dinner tables made him realize how complex the world is. Tales of lives spent abroad inspired his wanderlust. Their most important lesson? The value of being eternally hungry — that you should always leave enough room to taste something you've never experienced before.

Twenty-two countries and four continents later, Toby finds home anywhere with WiFi and a hearty chunk of intrigue. It's because of them, and he's forever grateful, because we imagine history into existence every day. Shaping the world around us as we go. And Toby remakes histories with every piece. From a motley crew of tales tall and true. A melange of myths, signs, and symbols. Every one ripe for his kitsch confections, which could all be legends one day…

Every piece Toby creates is true. Sourced from truth and grounded by it. But never real. Reality's a fiction we're all subscribed to, which doesn't make it any less true. And that's the thing about the truth. Or the past. It moves in both directions. Myriad, in fact. Never sitting still or doing as it's told. Forever questioned, dissected, reframed and upended. Queered and inverted. Packaged and performed. Told, retold, adapted then sold. Evolving, like everything else. Which is why Toby likes to think his art exists outside of time. Reaching for infinity. Not reality. A kaleidoscope of mish-mashed truths, which are only as surreal as we choose to make them…‍