Best known for his works inspired by comic books and pop culture, Kenny Scharf is a multidisciplinary artist known for his populist visual art Lowbrow movement that emerged in the Los Angeles area in the late 1970s Born in Los Angeles in 1958, Scharf grew up in a post-World War II era and witnessed a rapidly changing world with its futuristic promises and products He began studying at the School of Visual Arts in New York City and earned a BFA degree in 1980 During this time, he came in contact with the East Village art scene, where he came to know and became friends with fellow artists Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring He also began work on Cosmic Caverns, his trademark installations that also doubled up as disco parties due to the immersive black light and Day-Glo paint used

Scharf, a self-professed 'pop surrealist,' creates hallucinogenic utopian worlds full of flying doughnuts, cartoon figures, and brightly coloured, frequently humanoid blobs using a variety of techniques, media, and allusions His works are a lively and joyful explosion of colour, form, and energy However, these vibrant, seemingly carefree elements conceal sharp teeth that speak to the contradictory essence of our contemporary world He always incorporates ideas and experiences from his environment into his paintings, creating a distinct, self-generated visual cosmos By drawing on the traditions of Pop Art, Abstract Expressionism, Surrealism, comic books, and Street Art, he skillfully merges fine art and popular culture His works often reference several pop culture icons, especially those seen on TV, such as the Jetsons and the Flintstones, as well as other anthropomorphic caricatures that look like aliens Sometimes they also feature typical middle-class Americans in an atypical apocalyptic setting inspired by science fiction

Using acrylic, dust, spray paints, and other techniques, the artist creates ecstatic compositions that are intimate and fresh and make for