All Images Courtesy of The Artist
I’ve been following the career of Seattle-based pop artist Mike Leavitt since before I owned a digital camera and had to swipe photos for this website off the internet — which is something that takes too long to talk about. As one of my favorite contemporary artists, Leavitt possesses a remarkable gift for creating small-scale, hyper-realistic sculptures of renowned artists, political figures and celebrities and creating mash-ups that collide with his pop culture obsessions. Honestly, his work is in a class by itself.
For the better part of the past decade, however Leavitt’s career has exploded as he dominated a niche designer toy market no one knew we needed. Partnering with FCTRY for manufacturing and distribution, Leavitt designs real life Action Figures of (mostly) Left wing politicians and heroes including Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Bernie Sanders, President Joe Biden, VP Kamala Harris and many others. Runs of these collectible figures regularly sell out.
Skittles Pistol
Now, the artist is planning his return to the gallery with Trash Talking, an art exhibit that shreds America with 100 new works spawned from 100% recycled material. At once brutal and fun, the vibrant and visceral pop-art pieces are life-size replicas of politically charged objects, from sneakers to guns. On view from July 6th to August 18th, 2024 at Seattle venue Mini Mart City Park (and online ), Trash Talking asks, what is truly disposable?
Trash Talking marks Leavitt’s first gallery show since he last exhibited at NYC’s Jonathan LeVine Gallery in 2016. In this new series, he reimagines the corner store, satirizing well known products with repurposed packaging. The artist sourced his materials — most of it cardboard — from dumpsters behind gas station mini marts, selecting each item for its specific cultural implications.
He then sculpted objects that cast a bright light on toxicity and waste: juice boxes made from oil and beer cartons; an old pay phone from Apple packaging; a toddler car from wood pallets; and more. Other works connect products to meaningful events and places. Air Jordans are made with cigarette cartons from North Carolina, home of the shoes’ namesake. Mickey Mouse on an AR-15 evokes mass shootings in Florida, and a pistol made of Skittles boxes evokes the death of Trayvon Martin. That’s right: it’s heavy.
As a child of the 1980s, Mike Leavitt grew up steeped in the branding of major corporations, which drives his reinterpretation of their ubiquitous castoffs. Leavitt also has a longstanding appetite for ecologically-themed work, inspired by his father Harry, who was an environmentalist and activist until his death in 2017.
Trash Talking’s Opening Reception Party — which is free and open to the public –will be held from 2:00-8:00 PM on Saturday, July 13th at Mini Mart City Park (a former Gas Station Mini Mart), located at 6525 Ellis Ave South in Seattle, WA. Works will be available to purchase at the gallery for under $100. All artworks will also be available to buy online beginning July 6th. Gallery Hours are Thursday through Saturday from 12 Noon — 5:00 PM. More Exhibition information can be found at TrashTalkingArt.com.