What is FanBoy vs. ArtBoy?

Our inspiration to create an exhibition around FanArt was borne from one of the core principals of ArtBoy Gallery- to present unique and fresh art.

We spend a lot of time sourcing new artists to bring into the ArtBoy family. In our travels, we found ourselves noticing more and more FanArt, ranging from videogames, comics, sci-fi, movies and everything in between that a good old red blooded nerd can sink their teeth into.

While there is a varied range of styles and talents out there, we feel that FanArtists deserve recognition. With FanBoy vs. ArtBoy, we want to turn the spotlight on FanArtists and give them an opportunity to show off their art; a form of art that everyone can relate to.

FanBoy vs. ArtBoy brings together unknown, amateur and professional artists for a common goal in creating genre specific works all under the banner of FanArt and exhibiting these in an exciting and fun series of exhibitions.

What is a FanBoy?

A FanBoy is a non-gender specific term used to describe a person who is highly devoted and biased in opinion towards a single subject or hobby within a given field. FanBoy-ism is often prevalent in a field of products, brands or universe of characters.

The term is typically used by and applied to people found pursuing “geeky” hobbies obsessively. Some common subjects for FanBoys devotion are TV shows, movies, anime, cars, video games, music and computers.

FanBoys are often experts on minor details regarding their hobbies, such as continuity within the subject, and they take these details extremely seriously. The term itself was originally used in a derogatory manner by less serious fans of the same material. However, despite its negative origins as a slur, many FanBoys proudly refer to themselves as such, as a mark of emphasis to their dedication and loyalty.

What is FanArt?

FanArt is artwork that is based on a character, costume, item, or story that was created by someone other than the original artist.

The term, while it can apply to art done by fans of characters from books, is usually used to refer to art derived from visual media such as comics, movies or video games. In addition to traditional paintings and drawings, fan artists may also create web banners, avatars, or web-based animations, as well as photo collages, posters, and artistic representation of movie/show/book quotes.

Usually, it refers to artworks by amateur artists, or artists who are unpaid for their fan creations—so that, for example, professional comic adaptations of the Star Wars films would not be considered FanArt while a version done by an unaffiliated fan would be.