You've been Karbombz'd! Kenny Scharf rolls his art down Santa Monica Boulevard

Los Angeles Times staff
·1 min read
LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPT. 26, 2020. Artist Kenny Scharf and gallery owner Jeffrey Deitch sit in Scharf's painted car, which was part of a caravan featuring Scharf's nobile artworks on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020. The event kicked off an installation of Scharf's work at the Jeffrey Deitch Gallery in L.A., patt of which includes Scharf's 2013 project of painted vehicles. A Los Angeles native, Scharf is best known for his work in the East Village art scene of New York in the 1980s. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Artist Kenny Scharf drives gallerist Jeffrey Deitch during a Karbombz! rally Saturday on Santa Monica Boulevard. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

The makeover began with a few innocent sprays of paint, but by the time Kenny Scharf was done, the gray Prius was a psychedelic Pepto pink comet with chunky white teeth and gleaming blue eyes — the latest of the L.A. artist's Karbombz! creations.

Dozens of Karbombz! turned out Saturday to form a caravan of mobile art in West Hollywood — part rally of Scharf devotees, part promotion for the artist's show at Jeffrey Deitch. The gallery said Scharf has painted 260 Karbombz! around the world, all for free. Times photographer Luis Sinco tagged along as about 30 rolled down Santa Monica Boulevard.

A Volkswagen with eyelashes, pupils and a mouth grill joins a caravan of Kenny Scharf's Karbombz!
A Volkswagen with eyelashes, pupils and a mouth grill rolls in a caravan of Kenny Scharf's Karbombz! on Santa Monica Boulevard. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Kenny Scharf paints a Prius pink at the Karbombz! rally Saturday.
Kenny Scharf paints a Prius pink at the Karbombz! rally Saturday. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Ashly Covington in her Toyota Camry, which was given the Scharf treatment.
Ashly Covington in her Toyota Camry, which was given the Scharf treatment. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
A Karbombz! participant holds up a Black Lives Matter sign during the rally on Saturday.
A Karbombz! participant holds up a Black Lives Matter sign during the rally on Saturday. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Photographer Joshua White, shooting the caravan on Saturday, pauses atop vintage wheels with the Karbombz! treatment.
Photographer Joshua White, shooting the caravan on Saturday, pauses atop vintage wheels with the Karbombz! treatment. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Cars painted by Kenny Scharf park along Sycamore Avenue, where Saturday's Karbombz! rally ended.
Cars painted by Kenny Scharf park along Sycamore Avenue, where Saturday's Karbombz! rally ended. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Works by artist Kenny Scharf at the Jeffrey Deitch Gallery in Los Angeles
Works by Scharf at the Jeffrey Deitch gallery. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)