"Car Show" by Justin Favela and Sean Slattery
Clark County Government Center Rotunda Gallery, 500 S. Grand Central Parkway, Las Vegas, NV Monday, March 16, 2015 through Friday, May 8, 2015
Artist reception will be held from 6 to 8 pm on Friday, March 20 with an artist talk at 6:30 pm.

“Car Show” is an exhibition of sculptures by Justin Favela and Sean Slattery that references three highly publicized tragic events, all involving celebrities and cars. The exhibit will be on display from March 16 through May 8 at the Clark County Government Center Rotunda Gallery, 500 S. Grand Central Parkway near downtown Las Vegas. A reception will be held from 6 to 8 pm on Friday, March 20 with an artist talk at 6:30 pm.  

From the aftermath photo of well-known musician Tupac Shakur's shooting death in Las Vegas, to the tense media coverage of Yolanda Saldivar's standoff in her truck after murdering Tejano crossover sensation Selena, to the widely viewed news footage of O.J. Simpson’s low speed chase through Los Angeles freeways and streets, the vehicles involved are forever linked to the memories of the incident. A black BMW, a red GMC truck and a white Chevy Bronco: the automobiles become the surrogates of the perpetrators and victims of three of the most shocking events of the ‘90s.  

The sculptures are constructed of modest, impermanent materials Justin Favela frequently utilizes in his work: cardboard, foam, paper and found objects. Combining their tangential sensibilities, Favela and Slattery have created a shared vision of three large works that spotlight the cars in individual ways. “Car Show” will feature an abstract monument proposal for the site of Shakur’s shooting at the intersection of Koval Lane and Flamingo Road, a large paper truck that draws upon the ritual and celebration of the roadside memorial and an amateur enthusiast's recreation of the century's most famous car pursuit.  

Justin Favela is a Las Vegas native working in the mediums of painting, sculpture, and performance. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Studio Arts from UNLV. His work draws from art history, popular culture and his heritage. It has been exhibited across the United States and in Las Vegas venues such as the Contemporary Arts Center, Trifecta Gallery and Donna Beam Gallery of Fine Art. Recently he completed residencies at St. Mary’s Art Center in Virginia City and The Cosmopolitan’s P3 Studio. His artwork was also featured in the group exhibition “State of the Art: Discovering America Now” at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas.  

Sean Slattery is an artist who moved to Las Vegas in 2001. He received his Masters of Fine Art from UNLV in 2004, after earning a BFA in Painting & Drawing/Art History at the University of North Texas. In Texas he was a member of the Good/Bad Art Collective. He has had one-person shows at Angstrom Gallery in Dallas, and his work has appeared in group shows in cities across the U.S. including Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Dallas, and Chicago. While in Las Vegas he has created, exhibited, and sold art in various collaborations, such as Ripper Jordan and Ellsworth Chilton.