What do Mickey Mouse and a machine gun have in common? A pack of Marlboros with a McDonald’s Happy Meal? Apple and a phone booth? Apparently nothing, and that’s exactly what Mike Leavitt focused on for his Trash Talking sculpture series. In this series, the line between pop culture and social criticism is erased with irony and mastery.

Trash Talking consists of over 100 works created using reclaimed materials, such as recycled cardboard and pallets, critically and visually highlighting issues related to our relationship with consumer goods and the economic system. This is how cardboard guns with the Gucci logo or trash cans branded with Adidas or Nike are born. 

The uniqueness lies in the creative process: each piece is handmade by the artist, without the use of digital tools or assistants, thus maintaining a personal and artisanal approach in an era where automation is increasingly pervasive.

Another fundamental aspect of Trash Talking is its connection with the original exhibition space, an old gas station transformed into an artistic and cultural venue: the Mini Mart City Park in Seattle. The choice of location is not accidental: a gas station, a symbol of fossil fuel consumption, becomes the perfect context for a work that denounces waste and dependence on limited resources. This setting adds an additional layer of meaning to the works, which are designed to reflect on global issues and the collective impact of our daily actions.

Now, we just have to wait and see where Mike Leavitt decides to take this project and which other objects he will bring to life.