LA LA LAND
LA LA LAND was a collaborative project I curated and produced between Beautiful Losers and renowned conceptual satirist and LA street icon Slick, featuring a limited-edition collection released on the occasion of his exhibition "I 🙂LA". Slick stands as one of the great conceptual satirists of our era, with an oeuvre that serves as a masterclass in parody and satire, incisively commenting on social and political issues. His practice spans a stunning range of output from meticulously precise paintings and exquisitely finished sculpture that mines pop culture in the tradition of Jeff Koons or KAWS, to large scale murals and commercial works. Slick's smiley face works showcase his ability to infuse familiar symbols with subversive meanings. The smiley face imagery originated from an accidental creation during a mural festival in Kobe, Japan, and Slick has since reinterpreted the classic icon to explore themes of consumerism, societal complacency, and the darker undercurrents of popular culture. His smiley faces are not just benign symbols of happiness; they are often depicted with a satirical twist, sometimes distorted or accompanied by unsettling elements, thereby challenging the viewer's perception of innocence and simplicity. These works highlight Slick's fascination with the juxtaposition of surface-level cheerfulness and underlying chaos or decay, serving as compelling commentary on the human condition and the dissonance between perceived and actual well-being. Through this lens, the happy face becomes a poignant symbol for the contrast between outward expressions of joy and the complexities of internal emotional states, illustrating how societal expectations can mask deeper, often unspoken struggles. Slick's use of this imagery invites viewers to reflect on the performative aspects of happiness and the often superficial nature of societal norms, making a powerful statement about the universal human experience and the masks we wear. The one-run-only LA LA LAND collection included three custom hand-dyed t-shirts in a rich, deeply saturated classic "Have A Nice day" yellow, three skateboards fully hand-dipped in lacquer for sculptural dimensionality, and three signed and numbered silkscreen prints (editions of 99 each). The collection translates Slick's legacy and his biting social critique into functional collectible forms, continuing Beautiful Losers' commitment to making contemporary art accessible through wearable and limited-edition objects.
