Curatorial Statement

After more than fifteen years since his last Los Angeles solo exhibition, Burton Morris returns with a body of work that feels rooted in his legacy yet evolved. For decades, Morris has been celebrated for bold outlines, saturated color, and instantly recognizable imagery. His icons have long operated with graphic clarity and cultural immediacy. In this exhibition, that clarity remains — but the icon no longer stands alone. It multiplies, overlaps, fractures, and breathes. What was once a singular image becomes an atmosphere.

The exhibition unfolds through three tightly focused symbols: the rose, the popcorn box, and the Chanel No. 5 perfume bottle. Beauty, entertainment, and luxury.

Across all three series, process becomes a visible and essential part of the work. Morris layers silkscreen prints with spray paint and detailing by hand, allowing each stage of creation to leave its trace. Clean lines encounter atmospheric gradients. Control and unpredictability coexist. Morris allows what he calls “perfect imperfections” to remain visible, so that slight misprints interrupt the graphic precision and give the surface a sense of movement and depth.

What makes ICONS IN BLOOM significant within Morris’ broader career is this recalibration of energy. The images are still immediately legible. The pop vocabulary is intact. Yet the work feels more immersive and open to interpretation. The symbols remain recognizable, but they now feel alive, rhythmic, and fully reawakened.