BROOKLYN—Jim Torok, a painter based in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, makes photo-realistic portraits on tiny wood panels, as well as autobiographical narratives in a cartoon style. His upcoming exhibition at Pierogi gallery in Brooklyn runs from September 7 through October 8, 2007. The artist spoke recently to ARTINFO about a memorable object in his studio. 

The Death Truck
"The most precious non-art object in my studio is the 'Death Truck.' I went to Indiana last spring to help my mother pack up stuff from the house I grew up in before she moved out, and I found this toy truck that had been in the 'crawl-space' for some 30 years. When I saw it, I immediately remembered that I had been playing with that truck when, as a young boy, I heard that my cousin had died. It was the first time I had heard of death, and I remember my mother explaining it to me.

"Seeing that truck 30 years later brought back that memory so vividly that I felt as though I was a young boy again. The Death Truck was one of the things from my childhood house I saved from being auctioned off to some stranger. It now sits in my studio where I can always see it. It is a link to my now distant childhood and reminds me of death."