Being Bukowski II (2026) Photograph by Steven Irwin

Being Bukowski II is a contemporary photomontage that combines vintage cartography, photographic imagery and distressed surface textures to explore the mythology of Los Angeles. Inspired by the city's layered cultural history, the work brings together fragments of a 1970s street map with iconic palm-lined streets and traces of urban decay, creating a visual dialogue between memory, place and time.

The title references the spirit of writer Charles Bukowski, whose work often revealed the overlooked realities beneath Los Angeles' glamorous image. Rather than presenting a literal depiction of the city, the piece evokes its contradictions—sunlight and deterioration, nostalgia and reinvention, freedom and fragmentation. Through the layering of maps, photographs and weathered textures, Being Bukowski II becomes both a portrait of Los Angeles and an exploration of how cities are remembered, imagined and continually rewritten.

Details:

• Photograph on Paper
• From a limited edition of 25
• Size: 101.6 x 60.96 x 0.25cm / 91.44 x 50.8cm (actual image size)
• Signed and numbered certificate of authenticity
• Style: Abstract
• Subject: Architecture and cityscapes