It seems heaven is butter scented. Or at least La Loma Projects is butter scented. And who knew the Pearly Gates were actually in Highland Park? Walking through those gallery doors, you’re hit with a bright light that really does feel like a scene out of a movie where the character dies, only to be welcomed in the blazing light and mist of a divine eternity by Saint Peter or, in this case, Joe Sola. The unnatural glow of the gallery can be attributed to the thousands of packing peanuts (2,500 cubic ft., to be exact) piled throughout. Their creamy sheen reflects the fluorescent lights overhead, casting a luminescence that shrouds the exhibition space. To get close to the works, you must wade through the mounds of peanuts—which, being biodegradable, cause that buttery scent. It’s a multisensorial experience completely in line with Sola’s multi-disciplinary practice.
The show itself is a fittingly eclectic collection. There are serene paintings done in broad, watery strokes, featuring a curly-haired lamb, a DJ hunched over their deck, and a flock of sheep; a simple triptych line drawing of a man whose oversized mustache keeps rearranging itself; and a tiny sculpture made of broken bits of wood of a stick figure officer writing up a ticket for a box. Each work, regardless of medium, uses a pared-down color palette of neutrals, though the paintings incorporate bits of muted pastel tones that add to the soft haze of the gallery.
The officer—namesake of the exhibition, “Officer McGinty writes a ticker and other works”—appeared in the videos Sola posted on Instagram teasing the show, videos that blended animation with Reel-style documentation of what Sola is wearing or doing. The show and its social media prelude are an excitingly tactile trip into what is clearly an ambitious mind. You could (and should) sit in the buttery bliss for a while and take in the variety. Maybe bury yourself a bit too, which, by the press photos, it seems Sola himself did.
Joe Sola: “Officer McGinty writes a ticket and other works”
La Loma Projects
6516 N. Figueroa St. A,
Los Angeles, CA 90042
On view through April 12, 2025
