Trash Talking, an art exhibit by toy sculptor Mike Leavitt, tears America apart with 100 new pieces made from 100% recycled materials. Brutal yet fun, the vibrant and raw pop art pieces are life-size replicas of politically charged objects, from sneakers to guns. On display online and at Mini Mart City Park from July 6 to August 18, 2024, Trash Talking asks: What is truly disposable?
“Trash Talking” is Leavitt’s first solo exhibition since his 2016 show with Jonathan Levine in New York. In it, Leavitt lampoons familiar products with repurposed packaging and reimagines the corner store. Leavitt sourced materials from the trash bins behind gas station mini-marts, choosing each item for its specific cultural connotation, most of which was cardboard. He then sculpted objects that shine a bright light on toxicity and waste: juice boxes made from oil and beer cartons, an old pay phone made from Apple packaging, a toddler cart made from a wooden pallet. Other works link products to meaningful events and places: Air Jordans are made from cigarette cartons in North Carolina, where the shoe is named; Mickey Mouse riding an AR-15 evokes the Florida shootings, and a pistol made from a Skittles box evokes the death of Trayvon Martin.
Leavitt is best known for his action figures of famous people, including Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Spike Lee, Andy Warhol, and Bernie Sanders, among many others. Since starting his cardboard shoe project 20 years ago, the figures have been exhibited in museums and shoe enthusiast collections, and are now formatted as educational resources for teachers, students, and DIY makers. Born in the 1980s, Leavitt grew up immersed in big corporate branding, which is what drives him to reinterpret the corporate waste we see everywhere. Leavitt has also had a longstanding interest in ecologically themed work, inspired by his father, Harry, who was an environmentalist and activist until his death in 2017.
Venue information, general admission, sales, gallery opening hours
Mini Mart City Park recently opened on the site of a former gas station after a decade of environmental remediation. A free public reception will be held on Saturday, July 13th from 2pm to 8pm, where take-home artworks will be available for purchase for under $100. All artworks will also be available for purchase online at TrashTalkingArt.com beginning July 6th. Gallery hours are Thursday through Saturday from 12pm to 5pm. Exhibition information can be found at TrashTalkingArt.com.
