I'm not the hippest or the most informed when it comes to modern, urban art forms. But luckily I have friends with discerning taste and private access who took me to the preview of the LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL exhibition by Mr. Brainwash, a talented French artist with a wicked sense of humor who's rumored to be the next Banksy.
The preview was packed, but we were lucky enough not to experience the four block line that others encountered once the exhibition opened. While I can't really offer criticism or praise for the exhibition, I definitely had more fun than I normally do at art openings. The exhibition was housed in the former offices of CBS on Sunset in Hollywood, giving it a very vagrant feel, as though we were all trespassing on a secret underground art society that had temporarily been squatting in the erstwhile offices. It helped that we all had teatinis in hand and live muscians were circulating, belting out jazz riffs to shake your fillings.
Mr. Brainwash has a knack for taking forms of accepted art and infusing them with a bit of modern wit. Definitely living at the intersection of pop and culture, his irreverence is palpable. Some might find it shocking or cheap. Others might find it genius. But that is the wonderful thing about art. There's room enough in life for it to be both beautiful...and funny. While I loved the artified LAPD squad car and the weird baby head flash, I think my personal favorites were his oversized sculptures, like the flying Campbells spray can and the gigantor lunch bag.
