INNOCENCE LOST: WhIsBe

Legendary NY street artist WhIsBe brings his unique brand of social commentary to Band of Vices for his first LA solo show, INNOCENCE LOST.   A focus of the show is a commentary on gun culture in the US, as it relates to our youth, in particular, mass school shootings. WhIsBe aims to use art as a powerful, emotive tool to keep the discussion relevant and urgent, as opposed to this happening only in response to news reports of the next mass shooting. Shootings that are happening with a worryingly increasing frequency, lulling the nation (with the help of politicians and media) into a state of numbness and acceptance, that mass shootings of children is unavoidable, and ludicrously, the status quo.

Whisbe's work first appeared on the streets of Brooklyn in 2013 with the iconic "Vandal Gummy" garnering the attention of the art world and fashion world. 10 yrs later monumental sculptures of the Vandal Gummy can be seen in museums and public spaces globally, the largest to date, a 27ft tall behemoth in the Hong Kong harbor, and Whisbe has collaborated with numerous fashion brands, such as Coach and Playboy. WhIsBe has also taken the NFT/digital art space by storm with multiple seven-figure sales, as well as sales at Sotheby's and Christie's. 

This exhibition is curated by IV Gallery.

Opening Block Party
This SUNDAY, 9 July 2023
5pm - 8pm