Pentti Monkkonen

Los Angeles-based artist Pentti Monkkonen explores themes of urbanism and architecture in his sculptural practice, specifically the fluctuating appearance of L.A.’s facades with their mismatched paint swatches covering graffiti, dilapidated signs, rough stucco and adobe roof tiles. In 1997, Monkkonen founded the Baldwin Hills Space Association (BHSA), a clothing line and umbrella organization that created public interventions throughout the city. The BHSA served as a framework for Monkkonen’s broader sculptural practice until 1999, and was responsible for such activities as the unauthorized construction of a building in the Baldwin Hills neighborhood and the temporary installation of a palm tree observation tower on the median of Highway 101 near Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. 

Raised in Los Angeles, Monkkonen takes the growing and shifting city as a primary source of inspiration. His works often gravitate around urban development, addressing issues of gentrification while examining and parodying the theatrical nature of the built environment. His sculptures are often playhouse-sized, dwarfed versions of contemporary urban forms and ecosystems.

Submitted by VENUS