The name of Italian espresso-machine maker La Marzocco may not roll off the tongue easily or be a household name. … More
Tag: los angeles
WIDE WALLS: MEMORIAL MURAL REMINDS OF US THE GREATNESS OF THE LATE, GREAT KOBE BRYANT!
Just over three years since NBA superstar Kobe Bryant tragically died in a helicopter crash on a Calabasas mountainside, his … More
ON VIEW: ALEX ISRAEL’S PASTEL-TINTED, SURF-INSPIRED VISION!
We’re fans of artist Alex Israel. It may in part be due to the fact that we’re surfers here at … More
“GOTHIC FUTURISM” : THE BLOCKBUSTER ARTWORK OF PIONEERING HIP-HOP ARTIST RAMMELLZEE!
We went to Deitch Projects gallery in Los Angeles on Saturday for the last day of the blockbuster “Gothic Futurism” … More
AT THE MUSEUM: INCREDIBLE NAVAJO-INFLUENCED ART OF ERIC-PAUL RIEGE!
We’re blown away by the artwork of Navajo artist Eric-Paul Riege. His current show at the Hammer Museum in Los … More
INCREDIBLE EDIBLE: ARTIST CREATES GIANT FOOD SCULPTURES TO DROOL FOR!
We checked out the whimsical “Fulton’s Exhibit” in Hollywood last weekend. The show is a collection of giant food sculptures … More
VAN LIFE: YET ANOTHER VEHICLE PAINTED BY KENNY SCHARF!
We spotted yet another vehicle adorned with artwork by the artist Kenny Scharf in Los Angeles. This one was on … More
MEDIUM IS MESSAGE: THE POTENT RELEVANCE OF BARBARA KRUGER!
The Broad museum in Los Angeles has several major works by the influential American artist Barbara Kruger in its permanent … More
VISUAL TRASH: STREET ART, GRAFFITI, ADVERTISING, OH MY!
On the shiny, new gentrified south end of Downtown Los Angeles there are remnants still, old and recent, of the … More
POST-MODERN CLASSIC: REVISITING ANDY WARHOL’S “MAO” PAINTINGS!
Between 1972 and 1973, the late great pop-art pioneer Andy Warhol created 199 silkscreen paintings of the notorious Chinese revolutionary … More
COSMIC THING: KENNY SCHARF CARTOONS ADORN L.A. TIRE SHOP!
Two dark-pink, disembodied cartoon heads by Los Angeles-based artist Kenny Scharf bookend the signage on the facade of a tire … More
STREET ART: MURAL BY MR. B-BABY IN LOS ANGELES
Awesome street art mural by Mr. B-Baby near intersection of Venice Boulevard and Centinela Avenue in the Mar Vista neighborhood … More
LA LA LAND GRAFFITI : “SICKID” BILLBOARD HUSTLE IN HOLLYWOOD !
Driving around a major U.S. city long enough and you’re bound to see unused billboards that have been hijacked with … More
WRIT LARGE : MASSIVE “MSK” GRAFFITI THROW-UP IN L.A. ARTS DISTRICT
We spent a morning in the Arts District on a recent visit to Los Angeles. It’s home to lots and … More
BEYOND “SUPERFLAT” : AT THE MIND-ALTERING TAKASHI MURAKAMI SHOW IN L.A.!
We finally made it to the landmark Takashi Murakami exhibition at the Broad Museum in Los Angeles. We posted about … More
NIFTY : NFT STREET ART SIMULTANEOUSLY EVOKES AWE AND EYE-ROLLS IN TOURISTY POST-GENTRIFIED OVER-HIPSTERED VENICE HOOD!
On a wall in an alley behind a block of fashionable cafes, luxe-hipster boutiques and a foodie-grade ice cream shop … More
SUPERFLAT IN LA LA LAND: TAKASHI MURAKAMI’S FIRST MAJOR SOLO SHOW AT THE BROAD MUSEUM OPENS!
This weekend saw the opening of a major Takashi Murakami exhibition at the Broad Museum in Los Angeles. It’s the … More
STREETSY : BAFFLINGLY ABSTRACT MURAL CONFUSES VENICE BEACH LOCALS!
The Venice Beach area of Los Angeles, its fashionable neighborhoods and adjacent districts, is home to a lot of street … More
BRUSHED UP : HOW A GIANT COMB SCULPTURE BLEW OUR MIND!
The first time we saw Latvian artist Vija Celmins’ giant plastic comb at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art … More
“LIT A.F., DUDE! “: SEEING THIS ICONIC L.A. ARTWORK NEVER GETS OLD!
Artist Robert Irwin’s wall of multi-colored fluorescent tube lights at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art serves as post-modernist … More
TOUR DE FORCE: OBAMA PORTRAITIST AMY SHERALD’S BRILLIANT “THE GREAT AMERICAN FACT” EXHIBITION IN L.A.!
It’s a small show, but one that packs a punch. Amy Sherald’s collection of five new paintings manage to fill … More
TRANSPARENT THINGS: THE MINIMALIST GLASS CUBE THAT TURNS THE WORLD RED!
Artist Larry Bell’s red, glass cubes at MOCA Los Angeles are a masterful use of color, materials and space. The … More
LIGHT LINES: THE STUNNING IMMERSIVE SPACES OF BRAZILIAN ARTIST BLOWS OUR MINDS!
Last weekend we went to the new exhibition of artwork by Brazilian artist Lygia Pape at Hauser and Wirth Los … More
SO VIRAL IT’S SICK! VIDEO OF THE LINDA LINDAS PERFORMING “RACIST SEXIST BOY” DINGS INTERNET!
By now you may have heard of and seen the Los Angeles power-pop indie-punk band the Linda Linda’s. A YouTube … More
TRUE GRIT: SURFER-MUSICIAN’S VINTAGE, STICKER-FIED STATION WAGON
Would you drive this stickerfied vintage station wagon? We spotted this car parked along a remote stretch of Pacific Coast … More
CRYPTIC: HIPSTER-BEVERAGE GUERRILLA MARKETING AS STREET ART!
We saw this wheat-pasted poster on an electricity utility box on Fairfax Avenue in Hollywood on Monday. And we thought … More
BACK TO THE MUSEUM!: WE VISIT OUR FIRST EXHIBITION IN OVER A YEAR! PANDEMIC BE DAMNED!
On Monday we went to our first art exhibition in over a year. Our first since the start of the … More
NIFTY: WE’VE MINTED AND RELEASED AN NFT!
We’ve actually minted and released two NFTs! These are original images of surfers on waves at a couple of legendary … More
STREET ART: SPEAK NO MONEY, SEE NO MONEY, HEAR NO MONEY!
This wonderful mural in Downtown Los Angeles is a visual play on the age-old proverb “Speak no evil, See no … More
WTF!: YOU WON’T BELIEVE WHERE WE SPOTTED AN INFAMOUS NYC STREET ARTIST’S GRAFFITI TAG!
“Wow!” Just “Wow!” That’s what we exclaimed as we approached the stop at the T-intersection in our car. We were … More
STREET ART WILL EAT ITSELF: ART-ON-ART VIOLENCE IN VENICE SHOCKS PASSERSBY
Yes, it’s true, folks! An illegal wheat-paste street artwork on a utility box in Venice Beach, Los Angeles has been … More
HOMAGE OR RIP-OFF? BANKSY X KOONS X ANONYMOUS IN L.A.’s LEAFY WESTSIDE
In a rare feat, a single artwork has managed to simultaneously pay homage to two iconic works of art by … More
GOING BIGGER: “LOVE BERTO” DOMINATES FAUX-URBAN LANDSCAPE IN L.A.
Here’s another one of these abstract, geometric murals by the artist Berto, who usually signs his work “LoveBerto.” His massive … More
THE ANTHONY BOURDAIN MURAL
The much-beloved American writer, television show presenter, foodie and former chef Anthony Bourdain passed away in June last year in … More
DYING TO KNOW: IS THE “THE BLUE WHALE” THE POSTER CHILD OF LATE MODERNISM?
Is this building the poster child for late-modernism? No, it isn’t. But maybe it should be. It’s certainly one of … More
EPIC! MARK BRADFORD’S “160 PORTRAIT TONE”
This epic painting is by Los Angeles-based artist Mark Bradford. Its title is “160 Portrait Tone.” LACMA is showing the … More
KAWS GETS ABSTRACT IN L.A.
“Activity Trap” by the artist KAWS on view at the Marciano Art Foundation in Los Angeles.
ARTWORK BY BARRY MCGEE
Artist Barry McGee’s work has been a fixture in our memory and imagination for close to two decades now. We … More
ADDICTIONS: NEON SIGN PERFECTLY EXPRESSES COFFEE VICE
But first, coffee! Absofuckinlutely! Before anything, we need our espresso. In the summer, preferably four shots over lots of ice. … More
IS TAKASHI MURAKAMI ON DRUGS?
This massive hanging canvas by Takashi Murakami is like nothing else the Japanese artist has exhibited before or that we’ve … More
CLAW IN LA LA LAND
The story may be apocryphal, but if true — and we believe it is — it’s a telling anecdote about … More
ARCHITORTURE: GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY, WHERE TOURISTS AND NERDS BEAUTIFULLY COLLIDE!
One of Los Angeles’s great landmarks is the Griffith Observatory, an architectural gem that mixes art-deco and Mayan aesthetics. It’s … More
PROFANE: FRESH ARTWORK FROM MAYA HAYUK
We’ve been following artist Maya Hayuk’s work throughout her career and seen many of her colorful, cross-hatched abstract murals in … More
SPRAY AND DESTROY! GRAFFITI ARTISTS’ TOOLS ON DISPLAY AT “BEYOND THE STREETS”!
A massive collection of various brands and types of spray paint — tools of the trade for artists and creators, … More
STARSTRUCK: ALEC’S INEVITABLE MARILYN MONROE MURAL
The artist ALEC has made a career of street art and massive murals with images of pop-culture icons and celebrities … More
“IT’S JUST A ROCK” … REVISITING “LEVITATED MASS”
Artist Michael Heizer‘s awesome, infuriating, confounding and beautiful installation-art master work “Levitated Mass” on the north-side of LACMA in Los … More
CLOUDY: SKYWRITING “#AMERICA”
Look up in the sky! It’s … it’s a … it’s a hashtag! Yes, right there, in the air, under … More
WRIT LARGE: “PLZR” AT YOUR PLEASURE
This massive “PLZR” graffiti art across a row of roller-shutters is probably the only graffiti art or genuine street art … More
VEHICULAR: THE COBRA SNAKE VAN
Wait … what? The Cobra Snake van is parked on ultra-luxe Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica, in Los Angeles? Actually … More
SUBLIME: MADE OF HAGOP
The street art of the artist who goes by the moniker Made of Hagop never ceases to impress us with … More
SNEAKERS : ARTIST DUMPS USED KICKS ON FLOOR, INSTANTLY CREATES CRITICALLY-ACCLAIMED MASTERPIECE
Hey, you! Yes, YOU! You, the savvy reader of this blog. In case you did not know it, you are … More
UNNATURAL : GRIZZLY BEARS ROAMED VENICE BEACH, MURAL EXPLAINS
Sometimes street art works can provide an educational nugget like this artwork by artist Eric Junker in Venice, which states … More
SPACES: HIPSTER-MEXICO SURF CHIC
Salt Fish Surf Co is a surfy boutique in Venice, in Los Angeles, run by the effusive and friendly French … More
FASHION: BOXING PANDA T-SHIRT’S GOT GAME
Our colleague L. showing off a graphic t-shirt with the image of a boxing panda bear. How can you not … More
SHEPARD FAIREY IS EVERYWHERE YOU WANT TO BE
We were in Silver Lake, in Los Angeles, stopping by a popular espresso bar for a quick coffee, driving around … More
SO EXTRA! SUPER STREETSY ALL-STAR STREET ART
Talk about piling on. We snapped this pic in the back alley (are there other kinds?) than runs behind row … More
ARCHITORTURE: WHEN DESIGN WENT GOOGIE-EYED
Architectural styles are subject to the tastes, fashion and trends of a given era. Some architecture stands the test of … More
QUIZZICAL: ART MUSEUM OR HOME DEPOT?
It’s quiz times once again, savvy readers! Look at these photos. Is this a Home Depot or an art museum? … More
LOLS: WILL FERRELL & JOEL MCHALE VISIT CONCEPTUAL ART EXHIBITION, HILARITY ENSUES
This is brilliant. In this short promotional video for the Hammer Museum of Art in Los Angeles, actor-comedians Will Ferrell … More
STREETSY: IS NEW BLACK-AND-WHITE PHOTO STREET ART BY JR OR JR WANNABE?
Hey, you know JR, right? The French street artist who has become something of a worldwide phenom over the past … More
NEEDS: A PALM TREE WEARING SUNGLASSES, RIDING A SKATEBOARD
Needs. We all have them. And who doesn’t need a “shady palm.” That is, a palm that just doesn’t provide … More
PUMPIN’: STREET ART WITH LOTS OF HEART
We love coffee. You probably do too. But we REALLY love coffee. It’s actually kind of a problem, and, though … More
UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS: AWESOME “BUMBLE BEE LOVES YOU” INVADES OFFICE
We stumbled upon this commissioned mural by the Los Angeles-based artist who goes by the moniker “Bumble Bee Loves You” … More
PRINTED MATTER: THE RETURN OF THE AWESOME CRAPPY ‘ZINE
“Can’t Steal Our Vibe” is a lo-fi, black-and-white ‘zine published by Lone Wolfs (sic) Objets de Surf, a surf brand … More
APPROPRIATION: CLOTHING STORE MINES ‘80s L.A. SURF CULTURE TO HELP SELL DENIM
Junk Food Clothing and Levi’s, the iconic purveyor of denim jeans, had collaborated on a pop-up concept store in Venice, … More
SIGN OF THE TIMES: LAIDBACK SURFER HAND GESTURE GETS A SPICY UPDATE
“Shaka” or “Shaka, brah!” Maybe you’ve heard this expression. Maybe you’ve uttered those words in earnest salutation or ironically. Maybe … More
KICKS: GIANT FOOT STICKING OUT FROM ROOF OF HOLLYWOOD STORE “TOO INSTAGRAMMABLE”
Can something be too Instagrammable? That is the question, savvy reader. Our initial thought is, “Yes, yes something can be. … More
SIZE MATTERS: EPIC 82-FOOT LONG MURAKAMI PAINTING STEALS SPACE FROM OTHER ARTISTS
This massive painting by Japan’s most successful and well-known contemporary artist Takashi Murakami is displayed in the primest spot of … More
PAINTERLY: SARAH CAIN’S MASSIVE MURAL AT ICA FILLS EMPTY DEAD SPACE
“Now I’m Going to Tell You Everything” is the title of this site-mural at the recently opened Institute of Contemporary … More
LOVESICK: ANOTHER “BLEEDING HEARTS” MURAL REMINDS US THAT LOVE IS … BOTH RAPTUROUS MUSE AND A MONSTROUS BITCH?
DRIVEN TO ABSTRACTION: THE INCREDIBLE DEPTH OF ELLEN GALLAGHER’S “BLACK” PAINTINGS
These paintings by artist Ellen Gallagher speak to us in deep, immediate, profound ways. The black abstractions of these canvases … More
HAIRY: WHEN YOUR PERSONAL MODE OF TRANSPORT NEEDS A HAIRCUT
You are looking at this photo and you’re thinking “WTF?” Maybe you’re even mouthing the letters as you think them, … More
PRETTY IN PINK: ON THE SCENE AT THE PAUL SMITH “PINK WALL”
Swamped by a preening horde posing for carefully-crafted, eye-catching seflies, the parking lot at the Los Angeles store of U.K. … More
TRUE CRIME: STREET ARTIST “APPROPRIATES” ICONIC IMAGE OF FRENCH PHOTOGRAPHER
CITY LIFE: BIRD MURAL RUINS OTHERWISE COLD, SLEEK, OVERPRICED MINIMALIST CONDO & PERFECTIONIST LIFESTYLE
Text by Van Corsa Imagine. You’ve made it. Went to school. Got a job in a tech start-up. Paid off … More
LUST: A VISIT TO “LONE WOLFS’” LOS ANGELES MUSIC STUDIO
The hyper-aesthetically single-minded and stylistically dialed-in guys who started Lone Wolfs (sic), a surf shop and brand in Los Angeles, … More
LOVE: ELI BROAD’S DECADES-LONG LOVE AFFAIR WITH BASQUIAT
Among the vast art collection of billionaire businessman, philanthropist and art collector Eli Broad is a large collection of artworks … More
GRAPHIC DESIGN X MATCHES — LIT AF!!!
Our annual New Year’s ritual of doing some house cleaning and organizing, throwing things out and making room for all … More
RETAIL DESIGN: WHEN YOUR “SHOPPING EXPERIENCE” IS A WORKING GARAGE FOR MOTORBIKE REPAIR
The idea is genius, if maybe accidental and gimmicky to the extreme. HWY is a shop on Sunset Blvd. in … More
NOSTALGIA: STREET ART HAS NO SHAME FOR MEMORY LANE
The British jazz-pop singer Sade can be counted in the Pantheon of 1980s music icons. Her music videos for songs … More
TROPE-A-DOPE: STREET ART IMAGE OF DOG IN VENICE INSANELY UNORIGINAL (OR STREET-ART TROPES: A PRIMER)
There is street art. There are cliches. And there are street-art cliches (SAC). That said, we think “trope” is the … More
ART OF OUR TIME: “MERELY DECORATIVE”? JAPANESE ARTIST YAYOI KUSAMA’S BALLOONS
Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama’s current exhibition at the Broad Museum in Los Angeles is a sensation. It’s a huge bona fide … More
OBEY: THE WABI SABI OF OLD SHEPARD FAIREY STREET ART POSTERS
Like a vintage wine, some street art ages remarkably well. Others not so well. Take for example most wheat-paste street … More
ADVENTURES IN NEON: HOW “DOUBLE AMERICA 2” IS THE PERFECTLY SYMBOLIC ARTWORK FOR THE TRUMP ERA
Artist Glenn Ligon‘s “Double America 2” is among the most profound works of contemporary American art, and it is profoundly … More
SEEN: MASSIVE CONTEMPORARY ART EXHIBITION AT MOCA CREEPY AF! AND WE LOVE IT!
Some will hate it. Some will love it. Many will be confused. More to the point, it’s creepy AF! But … More
CONFUSION: “ART-NOT-ART” STREET ART
A funny thing about “art.” Sometimes the happiest of aesthetic accidents happen as a consequence of totally non-artistic impulses. Take … More
TECHNOLOGY: STREET ARTWORK LITERALLY “PHONY”
An electric utility box along Sunset Blvd. in Silver Lake, in Los Angeles, has been painted as an old-school public … More
CULT OF KAWAII: WHEN STREET ART “GETS CUTE” WE ALL SUFFER
Look, savvy reader! Look at the photo above! See that tiny wheat-pasted street artwork of a poodle-like canine waltzing … More
PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE: STENCIL STREET ART ATTEMPTS WRY SOCIAL COMMENTARY ON SMARTPHONE USE
We were were recently walking down the street in the Arts District near Downtown Los Angeles (a.k.a., DTLA). We … More
CONFESSED: WE WENT SURFING!
… And it looked like this.
KNOWLEDGE: STREET ART EXPLAINS RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FINANCE AND LOVE
Art can do many things. It can provoke, teach, offend, inform, comfort, inspire, scare, stimulate and bond us. Street art, … More
Mysterious: Why “Judith” is Painted on an LA Warehouse Door
The “Judith” in question here is artist Judith Bernstein. The roller shutter with her name painted on it in a … More
Revealed: Pablo Picasso was “Bad Hombre”
There’s that famous song by every hipster-music-nerd’s favorite band the Modern Lovers with the remarkable observation that Pablo Picasso, one … More
Here Comes the Neigborhood: Mural of Basquiat Ups Real Estate Values in Hip Gentrifying Hood
There’s a pattern of tell-tale signs that indicate that a once-undesireable neighborhood is undergoing gentrification. One of these signs is … More
Street Art Begs Passersby to “Stop Making Stupid People Famous” – We Disagree!
On the surface, the sentiment seems straightforward, sensible and pleasantly righteous enough: “Stop making stupid people famous.” That sounds like … More
New “Thought-Provoking” and Possibly Phallic Artwork Joins Hammer Museum Collection
Hey, look! The Hammer Museum of Art in Los Angeles has some new artwork! The museum, more often referred to … More
Fierocious Whimsy in “The Gundo”
The kind of perfectly executed and whimsically cute mural is the kind of “street art” the local community would think … More
Precious Contemporary Artwork Practically Invites Art Museum Newbies to Damage It
Pity the beleaguered museum gallery attendants who get assigned the shift to keep watch on the art installation by artist Carmen … More
Shocking: Street Art is Possibly Portrait of Late Iraqi Dictator Saddam Hussein
We recently stumbled upon some awesome street art work (see pic below) by the talented “Decisions and Review.” The work … More
Bed, Bath & Beyond or Art Museum? You Decide.
Take a look at the photo below. Well, the answer is pretty fucking obvious, right? This colorful selection of curtains … More
GLOBAL GRAPHICA 