Over L.A.’s rainy weekend, Complex Art Gallery hosted a 25th anniversary, three-day art show for Jackass.
Completely free to the public, droves of fans and heavy-hitting artists such as skate photographer Atiba Jefferson and Eric “Fucking” Andre took to Fairfax to walk between the showcase, held between Complex’s dual buildings.
This was a re-animation of the memories and deep cuts from director Spike Jonze, Jeff Tremaine, and Johnny Knoxville’s painfully stupid ideas of fun, following the latter two’s departure from Big Brother Magazine.
A collaboration between Complex, the streetwear empire, and this notoriously raunchy film crew made for an unlikely, though striking, match.
The show stems from a limited Jackass merchandise release, made by the clothing brand Babylon Los Angeles, that appeared at Complex’s “Complexcon” festival three weeks ago in Las Vegas. After talks of a bigger showcase grew, Complex rented the spot next door to its L.A. Art Gallery to create two immersive, cohesively independent experiences centered on the 25-year history of Jackass.
The opening party last Thursday provided the cast with a manageable crowd to maneuver through and more familiar faces to run into. The pre-viewing offered more time to study the careful framing of British artist Damien Hirst, whose pieces occupy much of the original Complex’s show walls, and count the number of discarded cigarette butts used in his own version of Jackass’ skull-and-crutches logos (I lost count twice, but knock yourself out).
I caught the legendary Wee Man (Jason Acuña) on the sidewalk between the two halves of the art show, leaning against the wall, enjoying the mist of a November evening in Los Angeles.
“Jackass to me is my life,” Acuña told L.A. TACO. “I’ve been doing it since day one. I hope this show will bring a younger generation to see what we were doing before cellphones.”
Dmitri Elyashkevich is one of the photographers picked to showcase their time on past Jackass sets. Other artists included cast members like Steve-O and director/screenwriter Emily Ting, who as of Sunday, is now Johnny Knoxville’s new wife (congrats if you’re reading this!).
Shepard Fairey also had a poster in the show, featuring a peace sign made of half-flesh, half-bone, interlocking with a circled “A” reading: “EVERY RULE AND BONE, BROKEN, A VICTORY FOR ANARCHY.”
“I think a lot of the artists that were in the show were also fans of Jackass …,” Jackass star Dave England said in a call with L.A. TACO. “The whole show was for the fans. It was really cool for them to be able to come in at no charge, get to hang out with us for a bit, take some photos, and talk about the art.”
England’s own contribution to the opening was the "Sexcorcycle," in other words, “an exercise bike that sucks your dick,” which was purchased for $1200 by identical twins that finish each other’s sentences, he says. He also created two dildo skateboards (sold), and 25 cans of his own shit (all still unsold).
“It was a celebration of Jackass; we hit a quarter-century,” England said, looking forward to another 25 years of human sling-shots, apex predator taunting, and yes, dildo skateboards.
