Murakami just pulled back the curtain on everything at The Broad and you need to see this.
You know those happy rainbow flowers? The smiling faces on Kanye albums and Supreme drops? Those were always a lie. Murakami’s been saying it himself those smiles represent the repressed trauma Japanese people carry from Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The happy faces were never about joy. They were masks hiding rage, fear, sadness. In Japanese culture you smile through the pain. You don’t show what hurts.
Well now Murakami’s done smiling.
The Broad just dropped a fresh installation with four major Murakami works, and the centerpiece is his newest *Hiroshige’s 100 Famous Views of Edo: Japonisme Reconsidered Moon Pine, Ueno* (2024-25). He’s channeling Utagawa Hiroshige’s 1856 ukiyo-e woodblock prints, that same traditional Japanese art that inspired Van Gogh and Monet. But this ain’t just homage. This is Murakami adding his own characters, his own anger, his real emotions. The tree, the circular composition it’s rooted in classical Japanese aesthetics but the emotion? That’s right now. That’s all of us post pandemic, post everything.
The faces aren’t hiding anymore. They’re angry. Frustrated. Terrified. Real. No more kawaii facade. This is the darkness that was always there, finally showing itself.
And this is happening at The Broad Eli and Edythe Broad are absolute legends for what they built in DTLA. Free admission to world class contemporary art? That’s revolutionary. Most museums gatekeep behind ticket prices but “The Broad” understood great art should be accessible to everyone. The building alone is bucket list material that honeycomb facade, the way light breathes through it, stunning. Then you walk in and see Basquiat, Warhol, Koons a collection that shows the rest of the art world how it’s done.
They’ve got construction happening right now but they also brought in Richard Therriens oversized objects exhibit that one’s paid admission but honestly worth it. His massive stack of plates, tables you can walk under kids lose their minds over it and the line to get in shows you it’s a hit. I’ve seen his huge table installation before and it never gets old watching people’s faces when they realize the scale.
They had this scavenger hunt for the kids that was genius. Kids running around asking me about every single piece, hunting for clues like little art detectives. That’s how you teach art. That’s how you keep them curious. Get them engaged early, make it fun, and suddenly they’re actually looking at the work instead of just walking past it. Clever as hell.
But right now it’s all about Murakami at his most powerful, most honest. Watching him drop the happy facade and show us the real work that’s what art is for.
And the permanent collection is free. One of the most important living artists showing his truest work in one of the most beautiful museums in America and they’re not charging you anything for the main galleries.
Get to The Broad. Stand in front of that ukiyo-e inspired piece. Look at those real faces not the smiling masks. Feel what Murakami’s expressing.
This is what happens when artists stop performing happiness and start showing truth. This is why we need art that doesn’t hide. This is why spaces like The Broad matter because the best thing a museum can do is show us work that’s real, that’s honest, that makes us feel something deeper than surface level beauty.
Look, I’m not the type to get dragged to concerts. But when your fiancée is obsessed with an artist, you show up. That’s how I found myself in east Hollywood at this spot called WuuM for a night called Formless curated by Mo (not our BLVKBOOK Mo, but a different Mo Mo.faulk a proflic music manager and organizer we just met whose concert series absolutely slaps and hopefully brings it to the BLVKBOOK next). CHINCHILLA was in town for Grammy weekend, and this past Tuesday night showcase was the move.
WuuM is this rare gem that feels less like a venue and more like someone’s impossibly cool library living room. People sprawled across the floor on pillows, sunk into couches, leaning against bookshelves the whole space radiates intimacy. Word on the street was that Dave Yaden had done his first analog show there the week before, and after experiencing the room myself, I understood the hype. This is the kind of space where music doesn’t just play it seeps into your bones.
The lineup for this Grammy Week Friends Edition was stacked: BANOFFEE, SHE.LAILAI, SARA DIAMOND each bringing their own flavor. Solid performances across the board, setting the emotional architecture for what was coming. But everyone knew who we were really there for.
When CHINCHILLA finally took the stage, the energy shifted. This woman doesn’t perform she exorcises. Every song about lost love, every verse dissecting the tribulations of relationships, every note felt like watching someone bleed out the pain in real-time. And she wasn’t just singing about romantic heartbreak between songs, she kept bringing up her label. Talked about dropping them multiple times like they were a toxic ex she couldn’t stop mentioning. The way she referenced them, you could tell she was relieved to be free of that relationship too. There was this lightness in how she said it, like finally exhaling after holding your breath for too long.
She came all the way from the UK for Grammy weekend, and instead of playing the industry game, she chose intimate spaces like WuuM. This wasn’t some industry showcase this was her reclaiming her narrative, her sound, her story on her own terms. While everyone else was networking at award show circuits, CHINCHILLA was pouring her soul out to a room full of strangers who became family by the end of the night.
Her cadence is otherworldly the way she manipulates rhythm and phrasing, stretching syllables in unexpected places, letting words hang just long enough to ache. She’ll hit you with rapid-fire flows that feel conversational, then slow everything down where every word lands with weight. And her range? She’d drop into these smoky, whisper-soft lows that made everyone lean in, then climb into these highs that cut straight through the room. Not showy. Just intentional storytelling through sound. By the third song, tears were everywhere, people holding each other, swaying with closed eyes, completely undone.
Then came the closer. An unreleased track that she saved for the end, and it leveled the room. In that intimate WuuM space where you could hear every breath between verses, see every emotion flicker across her face she reached into her chest and pulled out something vulnerable and devastating. The intimacy of the venue made it feel like she was singing directly to each person’s deepest wound.
CHINCHILLA isn’t just talented she’s got that rare thing where technical skill meets genuine emotion. The kind of artist who makes heartbreak feel communal, who reminds you that being broken isn’t weakness. If you ever get the chance to catch her in a space like WuuM, drop everything and go.
And if you missed her in LA, she’s taking The Bigger Room Tour across Europe starting late February hitting cities from Dublin to Amsterdam to Vienna. If this intimate WuuM performance was any indication of what she’s bringing to those stages, European audiences are in for something special.
That’s what transcendent music does. It doesn’t fix you. It just makes you feel less alone in the wreckage.
And if you’re still riding the Grammy weekend wave, BLVKBOOK is hosting the pre-party and after-party at SkyBar. Come through.
When bloodline meets grind, something special happens. I’ve been around Montana Mills long enough to see the work speak for itself. As the nephew of Richard Duardo the legendary West Coast Warhol who earned that moniker by being the first person on the West Coast to make art out of a photo of Warhol himself Montana’s putting in the work daily, building his own legacy. Duardo was a key figure in the Chicano street art movement and a master printmaker who passed those techniques down to Montana. His impact is documented in the film *Print and Die in LA*, which chronicles his role in founding the Chicano street art movement alongside Cheech Marin.
Old School Mastery
I’ve watched Montana evolve from computer prints on Japanese paper to pulling serigraphs that make the old heads nod with respect. High powered water hoses blasting away emulsion, giant industrial lights in the exposure room techniques refined over decades through the Duardo bloodline. Getting to work alongside him, you realize quick: this isn’t some nostalgia trip. This is the real deal, done right.
But Montana doesn’t just live in the past. His digital giclées are equally amazing. For those unfamiliar, giclée (pronounced zhee-clay) comes from the French “to spray” tiny droplets of pigment sprayed onto archival paper or canvas, creating fade resistant fine art with exceptional color and detail. Montana’s giclées hit that gallery level quality, bridging traditional craft with modern technology without compromise.
Big Brother Publishing and Modern Multiples
Montana founded Big Brother Publishing to continue his uncle’s vision and now champions Modern Multiples the legendary studio Richard Duardo originally built. These aren’t just print shops. They’re institutions where contemporary art becomes tangible, collectible form, bridging street culture and fine art.
The distinction matters. Montana deals in archival prints using special paper, canvas, and pigment inks designed to resist fading for decades, even centuries. These are high quality, long lasting images, often signed and numbered with certificates of authenticity that increase their collectible value. And when it comes to multiples reproducing an artistic idea across limited editions like 1/50 or 2/50 Montana’s controlling scarcity while maintaining quality, whether it’s lithographs, etchings, or serigraphs.
The Education
Working with Montana is straight-up education in the original techniques Richard Duardo used to launch careers. Banksy, Retna, Shepard Fairey, Ed Ruscha that’s just scratching the surface. Anyone serious about their prints finds their way to Montana and leaves knowing more.
What makes Montana different is his work with every street artist, young and old. He’s in the trenches helping them with stencils and prints, keeping his ear to the streets. His sense of humor and ability to teach makes the process natural he’s taking young graffiti writers into the fine art world one print at a time. He demonstrates, elevates. That’s how traditions survive and how new voices get heard.
The Facility
Walk into Montana’s workspace and you get it. Top Gun’s aircraft hangar meets Andy Warhol’s Factory. This massive space is wall to wall with art, screens, squeegees, and every piece of equipment an artist needs. Giant exposure units, industrial sinks, drying racks climbing toward the ceiling a cathedral built for printmaking where ideas become editioned artworks built to last.
The Work
Montana’s crosshair poodle logo is unmistakable quality and authenticity in one icon. But he’s not just printing for others. Right now at BLVKBOOK, we’re featuring his West Coast Warhol soup can series a direct nod to his uncle’s legacy and Warhol’s revolutionary pop art, brought home to the West Coast aesthetic Richard Duardo pioneered. Not imitation. Continuation.
We’re looking forward to doing a big event at BLVKBOOK soon with Montana Mills and his prints stay tuned.
Living the Legacy
Richard Duardo earned “West Coast Warhol” by democratizing art, bringing printmaking to communities who needed it without sacrificing quality. Montana does the same for this generation. Every day, water hose in hand, burning screens, pulling prints that’ll outlive us all.
The craft and technique passed down through Montana you won’t find it at any other print shop in LA. After watching him work all these years, one thing’s clear: Montana Mills is the real deal, keeping the tradition alive at the highest level.
Montana Mills’ West Coast Warhol soup can series is currently featured at BLVKBOOK.
By CharlieBLVK. This piece includes insights about Alex Whitehouse.
You know how some people just have it? That’s Alex Whitehouse.
This twenty four year old has been moving through LA’s creative scene with purpose yes, he’s nightlife royalty, but that’s just context. He’s an actor, a writer, with credits on IMDb, but it’s his visual art that demands attention. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Alex Whitehouse has established himself as the innovator behind New Age Expressionism a style built on raw materials, primitive figures, visceral poses, and vivid color that’s completely his own.
His artistic identity was forged early. By thirteen, he had committed himself to art with unwavering clarity. His practice emerged from personal experience his father’s heart attacks starting when Alex was just ten trauma that continues to shape the symbolic vocabulary in his work. The skeletal forms, distorted shapes, and crude drawings that dominate his canvases serve as both personal landmarks and universal metaphors for fragility, survival, and resilience.
His work lives at BLVKBOOK inside Beverly Center because where else would it be? It’s where contemporary art and LA culture collide, and honestly, it’s the only gallery in the city that makes sense for what Alex is doing.
I’ve seen a lot of artists come through this city trying to make their mark. Most of them are just noise. Then you meet Alex Whitehouse, and suddenly everything else feels like background static.
What Alex creates has weight. It has soul. As the pioneer of New Age Expressionism, his work is bold explosively so with color and energy that demands your attention. But here’s what separates him: there’s technical precision underneath all that raw power. His style draws from African and Caribbean influences while remaining unapologetically original, woven through as foundation, not decoration.
And his use of black? Powerful. Understated yet generous in a way that shows he understands restraint is just as important as expression. It’s not about filling space it’s about knowing exactly where that black needs to land to make everything else pop, to create depth, to give the eye somewhere to rest before the next explosion of color hits you.
Take his newest work, simply titled “Keyhole.” That’s where you see the real skill. There’s intention in every mark, every color choice, every compositional decision. The way he balances chaos with control, raw emotion with calculated technique it’s masterful. Looking at Alex’s art is exactly what the title of this piece infers it’s like peering through a keyhole, through the looking glass into a mind that sees the world differently than everyone else. You’re not just observing; you’re being let into something intimate, something real. It’s the kind of work that makes other artists quietly panic. All these people out here trying to produce something this authentic? They need to go back to art school. And even then, I’m not sure it would help.
I watched him paint this sick jacket with an Andy Warhol stencil once, and the way he moved focused, deliberate, but somehow effortless told you everything you need to know about his process. This isn’t someone trying to be an artist. This is someone who simply is one.
His canvases carry this electric tension bold strokes that feel spontaneous but land with surgical precision. The color palette hits you first, vibrant and aggressive, but look closer and you’ll see the sophisticated layering, the symbolic vocabulary he’s building piece by piece. African and Caribbean motifs aren’t borrowed here they’re lived, internalized, transformed into something that could only come from Alex’s vision.
His work reflects what he calls the mindset of the outsider, the rebel, the one who refuses to fit the mold. That’s not artist talk that’s lived experience translated into visual language. Take “King,” one of his most powerful statement pieces. It’s bold, unapologetic, and carries this raw energy that demands you stand with it for a minute. The piece moves between emotion, chaos, and clarity in ways that feel both immediate and timeless. You can see the street-driven symbolism meeting refined technique, and the result is something that feels personal and universal at once.
Despite all this talent, the man carries himself like Steve McQueen or James Dean that effortless cool, that quiet intensity you can’t manufacture. He walks into a room and you feel it, but he’s not performing. Just himself.
People will make their Basquiat comparisons because of the cultural influences. Let them. Alex Whitehouse is building his own legacy.
The contemporary art world loves its safe bets. Alex Whitehouse is not that. He’s creating from genuine vision while everyone else is still figuring out their brand strategy. He’s part of LA’s creative fabric in ways that matter not just seen, but respected.
Alex Whitehouse is nightlife royalty, and he brings that same energy to his art events. It’s not just about the work on the walls it’s about the experience, the vibe, the way he moves through a space and makes it feel alive. Catch him at BLVKBOOK inside Beverly Center or out on the scene, and you’ll understand what I mean. His work is currently on display at BLVKBOOK’s Beverly Center location, a gallery space that’s redefining what contemporary art looks like in Los Angeles. If you haven’t seen his pieces in person yet, that’s your next move.
As an official BLVKBOOK artist and member, Alex represents everything we stand for: authenticity, raw talent, and the courage to create without compromise. We don’t just cosign anyone.
Remember the name: Alex Whitehouse. You’ve peered through the keyhole. Now watch what happens when the door opens.
Follow Alex Whitehouse on Instagram: @alex.whitehouse
For inquiries about Alex Whitehouse’s work, visit BLVKBOOK.com
Let’s get one thing straight: Sinister Monopoly isn’t playing dress up in a top hat. This is the real deal a genuine gangster turned artist whose story reads like a Scorsese film, except he lived it.
Growing up in Manhattan Beach during the 70s and 80s, Sinister started out detailing cars at his own shop, Paradise Auto. But his clientele deep in the South Bay drug scene pulled him in a different direction. By 2006, he’d become the largest marijuana trafficker on the West Coast, orchestrating multiple international networks with precision that would make any CEO jealous. He sent California kush clones to Canada for cultivation, effectively controlling the entire LA kush scene. He was the first to supply bubba kush to Atlanta, Chicago, and Detroit. At his peak, the Jason Syndicate as the FBI dubbed it was moving 800 pounds a week in Los Angeles alone, trafficking across three countries and eleven states with three airplanes.
Then 2011 hit. Federal arrest. By 2012, he was sentenced to over eleven years for conspiracy to distribute marijuana and cocaine, plus money laundering. Eight years. That’s what the feds gave him for building an empire. At Terminal Island, Sinister turned his cell into a studio and transformed rage into Renaissance. Self taught, he painted his memories of those three planes, the networks, the hustle. One of his pieces literally depicts a Coca Cola submarine transporting contraband, the Monopoly man at the helm. It’s autobiography as pop art, and it hits different when you know it’s not fiction.
His gangster portraits some real, some cinematic carry an authenticity that gallery bred artists simply can’t fake. When he paints John Wick or renders Heat era Val Kilmer, there’s a knowing eye behind it. He understands that world because he belonged to it. As one of the first chronic kings of America, his paintings are visual memoirs of an era most people only see in documentaries.
Now, about that name. Yes, there’s another artist who works with the monopoly iconography you know the one, the factory guy with the spray cans and the celebrity collectors. Respect to him for building an empire and popularizing the monocled mogul. But let’s be real: one came from street art and clout, the other came from the streets. Sinister would probably love to paint for that operation, maybe even collaborate. Imagine what those two could create together the polish meets the prison yard, the brand meets the biography. Tongue firmly in cheek, but the chemistry could be explosive.
These days, Sinister’s evolving beyond the top hat. His collaborations with legends like RETNA (we’ve got two stunning pieces featured right now at the Beverly Center location) and Miami’s anime master Crome showcase his range. Speaking of Crome our very own Flavio just closed a massive sale this week on that Hello Kitty collaboration. My favorite is the John Wick Louis Vuitton embellished print? Chef’s kiss. And don’t sleep on that Monopoly Val Kilmer Heat piece pure cinema meets street art sophistication….can’t wait for Heat 2!
He’s also been exploring samurai imagery with the elusive Defer, hinting at possibly dropping the monopoly moniker altogether and just going full SINISTER. Honestly? The rebrand makes sense. The work speaks for itself.
If you’re in DTLA, check out his gallery The Vault. And if you want to see what happens when authentic street credentials meet fine art technique, stop by BLVKBOOK. Sinister Monopoly just joined the family, and trust me this partnership is about to get interesting.
Welcome home, Sinister. Let’s make some moves.
Catch Sinister Monopoly’s RETNA collaborations now at BLVKBOOK Beverly Center, and explore more at The Vault Gallery in Downtown LA.
When the BLVKBOOK family decides to pull up somewhere, we don’t just show up we transform the space with our presence. That’s exactly what happened when we descended on the Mr. Brainwash Museum in LA, and I’m telling you right now, this wasn’t just some casual Sunday gallery stroll.
We came through with the whole squad Tom Wright and Greg Hasty holding it down with us, bringing that energy they always bring. Before we even stepped through those doors, you could feel it. This place vibrates different. It’s not one of those museums where you gotta whisper and pretend you understand what you’re looking at. This is where pop art screams at you in technicolor and dares you to look away.
Mr. Brainwash Thierry Guetta for those keeping score didn’t just create a museum. He built an experience. Walking through those doors was like stepping into the mind of someone who refuses to color inside the lines, someone who sees the world as one giant canvas and decides to paint it his way. Every surface is alive, every corner bursting with that raw fusion of street culture and fine art that makes you question why we ever separated the two in the first place.
Tom and Greg were instantly in their element, dissecting techniques, talking about the layers spray paint, stencils, mixed media all working together. That’s what I love about moving through spaces like this with people who truly see. The BLVKBOOK family spread out naturally, everyone gravitating toward what spoke to them, but all of us connected by this shared moment of pure discovery.
Here’s what makes Mr. Brainwash’s work hit different: it’s accessible without being basic. Einstein with his tongue out, Marilyn in colors that wouldn’t exist in nature, icons from music and culture filtered through this unique lens it’s familiar and completely new at the same time. He’s dismantling the walls between “high art” and “street art” one spray can at a time.
But let me tell you about the moments that had us all stuck. The Star Wars room was straight magic our entire childhood reimagined through his pop art vision. Everyone in the crew was losing their minds, connecting with the work on levels we didn’t expect.
Then there’s his genius use of scale. He takes toys and objects you could once hold in your hand and blows them up to monumental proportions. That giant Apple II computer installation, towering over us like a monument to tech history? When something small becomes massive, you’re forced to really see it and consider what it means. These objects shaped who we are, and he’s making them larger than life because that’s how they live in our memories anyway.
The rooftop shifted everything. Mickey’s Fantasia brooms actively painting the floor not a painting of the scene, but the actual enchanted brooms brought to life in three dimensions, caught mid spell. It’s whimsical, surreal, and exactly the kind of installation that reminds you why we need art.
But the wall of Mona Lisas? That might’ve been the moment for me. Instead of treating Da Vinci’s masterpiece with stuffy museum reverence, Mr. Brainwash created an entire wall where the most famous face in art history gets remixed and reimagined. Each Mona Lisa transformed differently some with sunglasses, some exploding with color, some completely deconstructed. It’s irreverent without being disrespectful. Greg was breaking down how this approach democratizes art, strips it from the pedestal. Tom was documenting every variation because each one was telling its own story.
There’s something powerful about experiencing art collectively. We weren’t just individuals passing through; we were family moving through this space together, building on each other’s observations, challenging perspectives, creating memories that’ll outlast any photograph.
Walking back out into that LA twilight, it hit me what made this day resonate. Yeah, the art was incredible world class, mind expanding. But what mattered most was the BLVKBOOK family doing what we do: showing up together, elevating each other, finding inspiration and beauty in spaces that speak to our souls. Tom, Greg, everyone we brought our full authentic selves to this experience, and that’s what transformed a museum visit into something we’ll carry with us.
And here’s the thing that kept running through my mind: somewhere out there, Banksy is probably watching all of this unfold with the most complicated smile. The street artist who helped launch Mr. Brainwash into the stratosphere with Exit Through the Gift Shop was it commentary? Was it satire? Was it the greatest art prank ever pulled? Or did the student actually become the master? Maybe the real masterpiece isn’t what’s on the walls. Maybe it’s the fact that we’re still asking the question. Maybe Mr. Brainwash’s entire existence is the art, and we’re all part of the installation. If that’s the case, Banksy pulled off something even more brilliant than any stencil on a brick wall he created an artist who creates artists out of everyone who walks through his museum trying to figure out if it’s genius or the joke. Either way, we’re here, we’re inspired, and we’re creating. Mission accomplished.
That’s the real power of art. It doesn’t just exist on walls. It connects people. It sparks dialogue. It reminds us why creativity isn’t optional it’s essential.
See you on the next adventure. Keep creating. Keep building. Stay BLVK.
We don’t just collect art at BLVKBOOK we curate movements. And LA based contemporary artist RABBHEAD is exactly the kind of raw, unapologetic talent that belongs in our stable.
Since November 2025, RABBHEAD has been officially part of the BLVKBOOK family, and let me tell you, this partnership is electric. Born in 1979, this neo expressionist street artist has been tearing up the contemporary art scene with a style that’s equal parts visceral and nostalgic. His kinesthetic cartoon illustrations aren’t just eye candy, they’re brutal commentaries wrapped in childhood memories.
Working primarily in acrylics and mixed media with chalk elements, RABBHEAD transforms iconic characters into something deeper, darker, more honest. His Mickey Mouse isn’t your friendly theme park mascot, it’s a reflection on commercialism and cultural mythology. His Pink Panther piece pulse with an energy that questions the simple narratives we grew up with. And when he puts Popeye on canvas? That sailor man becomes a symbol of resilience and raw power, reimagined through bold color contrasts and crude expressionist strokes.
“Every color speaks to me on multiple levels and different stages of my life,” RABBHEAD says. This dialogue manifests in his synthesis of past, present, and future reality fragments colliding on canvas in explosive combinations. His Visual Arts MBA and Graphic Design background from Iberoamericana University give him technical precision, but it’s his street art roots that provide the soul.
The accolades speak volumes. A 2022 International Clio Award nomination for Contemporary Art. Shows everywhere from NYC’s World Trade Center to London, Dubai, Athens, and Berlin. Three consecutive appearances at The Other Art Fair Los Angeles. This is an artist who’s already claimed his place in the conversation.
And January 2026 marks a major milestone: RABBHEAD’s upcoming exhibition at the prestigious Bruce Lurie Gallery in Santa Monica. If you know LA’s art circuit, you know the Lurie Gallery doesn’t play. This show will showcase his signature pop culture deconstructions alongside new work that promises to push boundaries even further.
BLVKBOOK isn’t just about collecting beautiful things. We’re about championing artists who challenge, who disrupt, who make you uncomfortable in the best possible way. RABBHEAD fits that vision perfectly. His work lives in collections across continents from Los Angeles to Singapore, London to Mexico City because it speaks a universal language of rebellion and reinvention.
Welcome to the family, RABBHEAD. Let’s burn bright together.
Discover more about RABBHEAD at rabbhead.com and catch his January 2025 show at Bruce Lurie Gallery, Santa Monica.
On November 20th, 2025, Sotheby’s auctioned Frida Kahlo’s El sueño (La cama) for US $47 million (US $54.7 million with premium), making the 1940 painting a record for artwork by women artists at auction, overtaking the previous record holder, Georgia O’Keeffe. The dollar amount alone is enough of a feat for this piece that is relatively young (only 80 years old), but is also a considerable increase from when it last sold in 1980 for US $51,000.
What can emerging artists take away from the resurgence of Surrealism among art collectors?
El sueño (La cama)
As I’m not an expert in Frida’s art, so I’ll pull info from Sotheby’s website of info about history, sales data and details about El sueño (La cama), with supporting info from artnet.com and fridakahlo.org. I highly recommend reading Frida Kahlo’s Letters to Nickolas Murray about her time with the Surrealists in 1939. All source info can be found listed below. Here’s an introduction to the piece to get us familiar.
“Frida Kahlo’s El sueño (La cama) from 1940 is among the most psychologically resonant and formally compelling works in the artist’s storied oeuvre, a surreal, deeply introspective self portrait that bridges personal symbolism, Mexican cultural iconography, and Surrealism. Painted during a particularly fraught moment in Kahlo’s life, El sueño (La cama), or The Dream (The Bed) in English, occupies a critical position within her practice, encapsulating her lifelong preoccupation with mortality, physicality, and the emotional complexities of selfhood.” (Source: Sotheby’s)
In 1940, Frida suffered deteriorating health problems from polio and serious complications from a bus accident in 1925. Her lover Leon Trotsky had just been killed and she was experiencing a divorce and remarriage to Diego Rivera. Beds are a recurring theme for Kahlo, as she was bedridden for long periods at this time, and a viewer can see the sense of entrapment and loneliness she must have felt during these periods of her life.
“Kahlo’s depiction of mortality in the present work is neither theoretical nor distant. Rather, it is intimate, tactile, and saturated with the emotional and spiritual registers of her experience. The suspended skeleton is often interpreted as a visualization of her anxiety about dying in her sleep, a fear all too plausible for an artist whose daily existence was shaped by chronic pain and past trauma.” (Source: Sotheby’s)
It is also worth pointing out that the skeleton above her bed in the piece is wrapped in dynamite and sleeping on two pillows. The skeleton is also designed in a paper mache style, reminiscent of Dia de los Muertos designs and Mexican/Chicano culture.
“The only thing I know is that I paint because I need to, and I paint whatever passes through my head without any other consideration.”
Frida Kahlo did not consider herself a Surrealist, but was invited into the prestigious group after meeting André Breton in 1938. In the letters she wrote during her time working with the Surrealists, she expresses being miserable with Brenton and the other artists, as well as how her work was being presented and mistreated. I encourage readers to dive into Frida Kahlo’s Letters to Nickolas Muray for a glimpse into the raw emotions Frida shared while travelling “I rather sit on the floor in the market of Toluca and sell tortillas, than to have any thing to do with those “artistic” bitches of Paris.”
Followers of her work can understand why she may have felt like an outsider to Surrealism, since it is, by definition, about dream-like states and pushing the boundaries of imagination, such as the works of Dalí. Whereas much of Frida’s artwork consists of self portraits often created while she was bedridden, expressing pain and isolation she also deeply wanted her work to be seen. So, like many of us would, she endured to share it with the world.
Her popularity only grew after her death in 1953. She became an icon of feminist movements starting in the 1970s, Hayden Herrera published A Biography of Frida Kahlo in 1983, and in 2002 the Academy Award winning film Frida, with Salma Hayek and Alfred Molina, was released. This is only a fraction of what her name and image have used for political movements, inspiration for other artists, and various products. Frida is certainly not the first icon to live on after death, but one could wonder what Frida herself would think of her fame today.
Frida Kahlo by her bed (with kitten) Selma Hayek in Frida (2002)
Now it is 2025 and Frida’s catalogue of work, and her image, have arguably reached the level of a modern icon and this year one Kahlo piece now sells for US $47 million. We have yet to mention her other artwork that has been sold for undisclosed amounts to private collectors over the years and a quick search about this sale will show larger discussions regarding these very large and anonymous art deals at these events, as well as their impact on the art consumption culture. It’s also worth noting that the image of Frida has only grown since the feminist movements of the 1970s, and her self portrait and influences can be seen in an incalculable number of artists’ work today.
There’s a palpable irony in the art community when a beloved icon reaches a level of notoriety and monetary value that the vast majority of us cannot fathom in our day to day lives. What one person may see as market trends, others can also translate into exploitation of an artist’s name and image. In Frida’s case, we can also see what her image has become after her death. She has become an inspirational figure for women’s rights and Chicano art globally, despite her artwork being very much about pain, loneliness, and identity in her life under Diego’s shadow. Perhaps this is another milestone in a long journey of unintended successes for a woman trying to cope with her realities.
The Resurgence of Surrealism
While much of the attention during the auction on November 20th was given to Frida and El sueño (La cama), what can also be taken away from that evening is an intriguing success for Surrealist and Expressionist art in the market, as well as a continued emergence of collectors interested in more art from women and and Latin artists. El sueño (La cama) was included in Sotheby’s “Exquisite Corpus” evening auction among quite a few other Surrealist pieces.
“Among the most distinguished private collections of Surrealist art, Exquisite Corpus represents the culmination of a lifetime’s engagement with one of the twentieth century’s most revolutionary artistic movements. Assembled over four decades with a connoisseurial eye and unwavering dedication, the collection traces the movement’s imaginative arc and recalls the collaborative Surrealist game ‘Exquisite Corpse,’ in which artists’ successive sketches coalesced into unexpected and fantastical forms. Rarely seen and long preserved in private hands, the collection stands as a testament to Surrealism’s enduring capacity to challenge perception and provoke critical reflection, and affirms its profound relevance in the modern era.” (Source: Sotheby’s)
Several pieces from women of various cultural backgrounds were included in the sale that evening for equally impressive sale prices, including; Valentine Hugo, Kay Sage, Dorothea Tanning. Many critics and writers describe the art industry in a place of reconsidering the women of the Surrealist movement, and these record breaking auction sales seem to emphasize that momentum. The “Exquisite Corpus” sale totaled US $98.1 million, right at the high end of its estimate of US $66.2 million to US $98.9 million.
Christie’s Jussi Pylkkanen commented that evening about the state of the art market and what he witnessed at the November 20th auction.
“Tonight’s sale at Sotheby’s clearly illustrated that the market has turned a corner. Consignors can be confident that the global art market is properly back on its feet. It’s also great to see that the beautiful theater of auction has returned.”
It’s possible to make parallels between the time of Frida and similar artists’ desire for expression in today’s artwork. Many popular artists are exploring new ways to create, breaking away from traditional forms and constantly evolving. We all struggle in our own ways with the world around us right now and artists are our catalyst for feelings we may not be able to put into words. Experiences, storytelling, and perspective are now commonplace among emerging artists and maybe collectors are searching for more meaning in the art they choose more than ever. Perhaps in a time where the world is tightening its grip, as in Frida’s time, is when we’re looking for deeper expression and individuality in the art around us. Turning to symbols, myths and dreams as a reaction to destruction and difficulties in our worlds.
Thoughts for Artists
While this article is not predictive of the art market, it’s worth exploring the increased popularity of Surrealist and Expressionist artwork among collectors and how emerging artists can ride this wave of momentum for their own artwork. We take away some assumptions from the November 20th auction that the global market for artwork is increasing in strength and there is more interest in non traditional art among collectors than ever, especially pieces that explore emotional context and cultural identity. We can also see what some may consider non-traditional artforms, such from the Surrealist artists of the 1940s to more modern artists and their uses of Expressionism. This may only be just beginning to have new opportunities to engage collectors and evoke emotion to larger audiences than ever before.
“I used to think I was the strangest person in the world but then I thought there are so many people in the world, there must be someone just like me who feels bizarre and flawed in the same ways I do. I would imagine her, and imagine that she must be out there thinking of me too. Well, I hope that if you are out there and read this and know that, yes, it’s true I’m here, and I’m just as strange as you.”
For my emerging artists trying to make it in the industry, I leave you with some thoughts for introspection:
How are we using cultural identity in our art to evoke emotion to viewers?
Are we holding back our emotional exploration and vulnerability in our work for fear of not being marketable? In what ways?
What inspiration can we draw from Frida and other re-emerging Surrealist artists’ to curate our own collections, in a way that is true to our sense of self?
Last Thursday night, while the art world fixated on Miami’s Art Basel that annual spectacle of champagne and seven figure price tags something more authentic was happening in Downtown Los Angeles. Sixty galleries opened simultaneously for DTLA Art Night, and what unfolded was everything Basel isn’t: accessible, raw, electric, and unapologetically real.
We rolled out with the BLVKBOOK crew, starting at Emerging Gallery where the energy was already building. From there, we stumbled across the street to the former Luna Factory gallery space not even on the official Art Walk map, but the art was up on the walls and drew us inside.
The previous Luna Factory had that warehouse rawness that lets art breathe without white cube pretension. Austin Horton was showing, and his “Big Bad Wolf” stopped us cold. This wasn’t your childhood storybook villain this was the wolf as truth teller, all teeth and honesty. Horton’s work carries that uniquely LA quality where street art’s directness meets fine art’s ambition without apology. The piece felt equally at home on a warehouse wall or museum floor, which is exactly the kind of versatility that makes an artist worth watching.
Walking up the block to The Vault Gallery (@thevaultartgallerydtla), you could feel the night opening up. Sinister Monopoly recommended we check out his space, current owner and a sick artist himself now featured at BLVKBOOK. Look out this week for his featured article.
For this Art Night, Anna P. Sutton handled curation, watching her work was a thrill she held court stopping the room every time an artist made a sale. Our very dear friend and master printer Montana Mills bought a couple of works from Raised in LA shout out to @Ianlantzart for holding it down in the streets and the galleries.
The Vault was packed with artists, collectors, the curious, all mixing without gatekeeping. The centerpiece was Swhayze Boy’s “Frankie Warhol” series, and it delivered.
This is Pop Art that understands we’re not living in Warhol’s world anymore we’re living in the aftermath, where everyone’s famous for fifteen seconds on a loop. Swhayze Boy takes that reality and runs with it, creating work that references the Factory era while speaking directly to right now.
The technique hits: bold colors crashing into graphic precision, enough rawness to keep it honest. You can trace the lineage from Warhol’s silk screens through Fairfax streetwear straight to these pieces. What makes it resonate is the lack of cynicism. Schwayze Boy commits to the joy of the image, celebrates visual culture without irony, and in an art world drowning in knowing winks, that sincerity lands hard.
Moving through galleries, we kept running into familiar faces bumped into Alex Whitehouse from BLVKBOOK, and the BLVKBOOK legend Flavio, we almost had the whole gang but still missing Mo love. We are getting Mo out downtown next month for sure.
We’d planned to hit the FAB the Fine Arts Building but the night had its own rhythm and we missed it. Some spaces deserve their own dedicated visit. We’ll make that trip happen.
We closed out at Slipper Clutch, the speakeasy where owner Bobby was holding court. There’s something perfect about ending a night of visual art in a space that’s all about atmosphere and intentional curation. Bobby has his own gallery dive in the back of the Greyson bar look for the door in the back like a proper speakeasy.
Here’s the contrast: while Miami’s Art Basel operates as a transaction engine for the ultra wealthy where art becomes an investment portfolio, where access requires credentials DTLA Art Night runs on different fuel. Artists are in their galleries talking about the process. Gallery owners remember names. The conversation centers on ideas and meaning, not market projections.
This accessibility doesn’t make it less serious. Artists like Austin Horton and Swhayze Boy are creating without institutional safety nets, making work because silence isn’t an option. Sixty official galleries, coffee shops, restaurants and even record stores all open to whoever walks through the door. No VIP lounges. No velvet ropes.
DTLA galleries holding it down last Thursday represent a fraction of what’s actually happening across the city. They’re not asking permission. They’re not seeking Basel’s validation. They’re building something real.
And keeping it real.
BLVKBOOK will be back again DTLA art night next month come find our crew.
Where Emerging Talent Meets Established Vision in Miami
Miami Art Week has a way of overwhelming the senses. Between the celebrity sightings, the champagne fueled openings, and the endless parade of galleries vying for attention, it’s easy to lose sight of what actually matters: the art itself. But walk into the Mazlish Gallery at Aqua Art Fair, and something shifts. The noise fades. The spectacle recedes. You’re left standing in front of work that actually moves you.
Under the thoughtful leadership of John Mazlish, this gallery has built its reputation on a simple but powerful philosophy: “Art With Heart.” It’s not just a tagline it’s a curatorial vision that prioritizes emerging artists, authentic expression, and the kind of work that creates genuine connection between viewer and canvas.
The Mazlish Gallery’s presentation at Aqua Art Fair showcases an impressive range of contemporary fine art photography, painting, sculpture each piece carrying its own narrative weight. This isn’t art for art’s sake; it’s art with something to say. The collection unfolds like a conversation, with each artist contributing their unique voice to a larger dialogue about identity, culture, and the human experience.
Walking through the space, you’re struck by the deliberate curation. Nothing feels arbitrary. Every piece earns its place, and together they create a tapestry that resonates long after you’ve left the booth.
EDDY BOGAERT: HIDDEN MESSAGES
Then there’s Eddy Bogaert, whose seamless blend of abstraction and figurative elements creates a visual language all its own. Bold colors and dynamic compositions explore the depths of identity and emotion through mixed media techniques that layer meaning upon meaning.
His painting “I Need Space” captivated me. At first glance, it’s a striking composition that works on pure aesthetic terms. But look closer, and you discover hidden messages embedded in the work visual Easter eggs that reward attention and transform the piece from beautiful to profound. It’s the kind of work that keeps you coming back, discovering new elements each time you look.
Bogaert’s art resonates because it operates on multiple frequencies. You can appreciate it for its surface beauty, or you can dive deeper into the conceptual framework. Either way, it works.
STEPHEN LEE SCUPTER: REDEFINING PERCEPTION
Stephen Lee Scupter brings innovation to sculpture in ways that challenge conventional understanding. His pieces explore identity and perception, using dynamic manipulation of materials to create installations that demand reconsideration. How do we relate to art? How does art relate to space? How do we, as viewers, complete the work through our presence and attention?
Scupter’s sculptures don’t just occupy space they transform it. They create dialogue between the work, the environment, and the viewer, making each piece an essential focal point that shifts depending on where you stand, literally and figuratively.
MATTHEW MARCOT: BREAKING BOUNDARIES
Matthew Marcot refuses to be confined. His eclectic approach merges painting, sculpture, and installation into a hybrid practice that challenges every conventional boundary the art world tries to impose. The result is work that addresses themes of identity and human experience with refreshing honesty.
Marcot’s pieces invite reflection. They ask questions without providing easy answers, creating space for viewers to bring their own perceptions and connections to the dialogue. In a fair full of work that tells you what to think, Marcot’s art asks you to think for yourself.
JOHN HERBERT WRIGHT: CULTURAL DIALOGUE IN COLOR
John Herbert Wright commands attention. His masterful integration of abstraction and realism creates paintings and sculptures that operate on multiple levels simultaneously. There’s a profound understanding of form and color at work here the kind that only comes from years of dedicated practice and an intuitive grasp of how visual elements communicate emotion.
But it’s Wright’s African chairs that truly stopped me in my tracks. Adorned with vibrant graffiti colors, these pieces transcend their functional origins to become powerful statements on cultural dialogue and artistic expression. The juxtaposition of traditional form with contemporary street art aesthetics creates something entirely new a bridge between worlds, between traditions, between past and present.
Wright’s work invites you to navigate the intricacies of human experience through a contemporary lens. It’s not passive viewing; it’s active engagement.
ART WITH HEART, ART WITH PURPOSE
The Mazlish Gallery’s presence at Aqua Art Fair reaffirms what we already knew: this is a gallery committed to nurturing creativity and supporting emerging talent. John Mazlish hasn’t built a business; he’s built a community. The artists represented here aren’t just names in a roster they’re voices being amplified, talents being championed, perspectives being shared.
John Mazlish’s photography was prominently exhibited at Aqua, situated towards the rear of the gallery, featuring an exquisite collection of nudes that exemplify both artistry and elegance.
In an art world that can feel increasingly driven by hype and speculation, the Mazlish Gallery offers something different: substance. The work on display highlights distinctive voices while celebrating the transformative power of art to connect, challenge, and inspire.
THE ESSENTIAL STOP
As Miami Art Week continues, the Mazlish Gallery stands as an essential destination for anyone seeking to cut through the noise and engage with contemporary art that matters. The collection is engaging, the mission is heartfelt, and the commitment to emerging artists is evident in every carefully chosen piece.
This is the vibrant spirit of Miami’s art community distilled into one gallery presentation. This is what happens when curatorial vision meets genuine passion for the work.
This is art with heart. I am sure MoLove will agree along with everyone at BLVKBOOK. ❤️
