I was insanely excited to see this show when I heard about it last month, and had even planned on going to the opening last week. I was looking forward to it, talking about it with friends and just generally stoked…and then I managed to completely forget about it at the last minute. Luckily, the show is still running (until May 7th) and I was able to get downtown this past weekend to see all the custom MAD*Ls for myself.

It was totally worth the trip, and if you live in the Los Angeles area or are planning to visit in in the next few weeks, I highly recommend you take the time to see it yourself. I’ve been fascinated with the vinyl figure scene for a few years now, and only recently decided to actually collect some pieces, starting with the MAD*L series. As cool as the little guys are (at about 6-7 incehs tall), seeing these 20 inch tall originals was insanely cooler. To be able to see pieces from artists I’ve long admired, like Kozik and Plasticf*cker, alongside artists I’ve never heard of but will definitely now seek out - the show was a true inspiration, and I’d love to eventually see my work in beautiful 3-D vinyl one day soon.

Luckily, the gallery allowed photos, so I snapped one off of each piece, though the pics hardly do them justice. There were MAD*L figures that moved, the art wrapped around them entirely, front and back, top to bottom. It really is an exhibit you need to see in person in order to fully appreciate. But, for those of you without access to LA’s Chinatown, just click the Kozik piece below for a sampling.

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