I'm in the elevator, on my way to see Gary Taxali's solo exhibition, "Hindi Love Song," at Jonathan Levine Gallery in Chelsea, when Jonathan himself walks in with a Feelin' Fine Woop-Ass stick in hand. He warns me that he uses this personal weapon, which was created by one of his gallery employees, to make sure that everyone behaves. I interpret this as a prelude to the show, which carries the same kind of playful, tongue-in-cheek, yet mature essence.

Photos courtesy Johathan LeVine Gallery. Artwork copyright Gary Taxali.

When I walk into Taxali's installation, what I see is a grown man's playground. All artists should feel this way when they work; after all, fine art is all about self-expression, and human beings express themselves best as kids. But in Taxali's case, because he has a design and illustration background, such a message is delivered clearly and in a coherent style through a set of images that range from small drawings on paper to 5-foot-high cut-out characters, signs, and a limited edition of bronze toys cleverly displayed throughout the space.

The surface of each piece looks and feels different. There are drawings on picture book pages from Taxali's childhood; plywood, steel, and even school stationary are also used as supports. What's also fascinating is that despite the rough surfaces Taxali chooses to work on -- combining  oil, ink, gouache, enamel, acrylic, collage and silkscreen -- the art itself looks surprisingly polished, so much so that it's almost impossible to detect the hand of the artist. This may be why seeing doodles, handwriting and scribbled numbers in the margins of some of the pieces feels like a friendly wink from the artist.

The new kid on the block here is Taxali's "Totally Repugnant/ Immensely Appetizing" bronze sculpture: 5 pounds, 8 inches high, and only 9 of them are in town. The character is inspired by a wine label the artist did for Bonny Doon Vineyards, where two very opposite sensations are combined in a single take: Taxali's rounded bronze boy sticks his tongue out while simultaneously picking his nose.

"Hindi Love Song" is a solid representation of Taxali's work at its prime. The exhibition embraces all the signature marks that can be seen in his illustrations, such as his love for packaging design; advertising; hand-rendered typography; lovable, iconic characters; American pop culture; humor and childhood nostalgia. According to Taxali, he's going back to his roots -- Hindu culture that is -- in a cyclical kind of way. As he gets older and understands himself and his work better, his art seems to be getting younger, fresher and deeper. His message is confident and strong, as if there were nothing that could possibly inhibit his work. As an artist, I personally can't think of a better reward for the inevitable passing of time.

Gary Taxali: Hindi Love Song continues at Jonathan Levine Gallery through May 2^nd. 529 West 20th Street, New York, NY. 212.0243.3822. If you can't get to New York for the show, take a guided tour with Gary at Friends We Love.

New York based artist and illustrator Fernanda Cohen is a faculty member of the School of Visual Arts, Vice-president of ICON6, lecture coordinator at the Society of Illustrators of New York and adviser to 3x3 Magazine. She is currently designing T-shirts for GAP's (RED) campaign, as well as a handful of advertising and editorial illustration assignments.