Beloved LA graffiti artist RISK makes his LA Art Show debut with two sculptures from his ongoing “Shark” series that has evolved to explore predators in their many forms. One of the most talked about sculptures of 2018 was his bisected police cruiser, an actual cop car dipped in formaldehyde and sliced open “like bacon,” revealing the vehicle’s inner workings. For the show, this controversial piece will be juxtaposed with a similar sculpture of a shark comprised of spare machine parts. Inspired by Damien Hirst’s “Natural History,” the pairing is a commentary on how police “patrol the hood like sharks.” “Embrace what you fear” is an idea that stems from Buddhist teachings and RISK’s bisected cop car was the surprise outcome of a meditation on this principle.

The project actually began as a sculpture of a shark and metamorphosed into a different kind of predator, complete with its own version of telltale fins, shape and color palette. Across from it will be the finished sculpture of the shark he originally intended to create – a predator from a different era that still strikes just as much fear.