We Are Ona

For Frieze Los Angeles 2024, the studio presented Selects, a site-specific installation that engaged with Los Angeles car culture through a sculptural and curatorial lens. The exhibition took place within the former Howard Hughes headquarters, with a parallel activation at The West Hollywood EDITION, where a fleet of all-black automobiles was recontextualized as formal objects in a gallery-like setting.

Curated under the direction of Alexander May with contributions from Damon Jones, the presentation assembled vehicles spanning multiple eras, from rare vintage models to contemporary icons. The selection included a 1993 Vector W8, a 1982 Rolls-Royce Corniche Convertible, a 2002 Porsche 911 GT2, and a 1993 Mercedes 500SEC AMG, among others. Rendered in a single monochromatic palette, the cars were reduced to pure silhouette, line, and proportion, foregrounding their sculptural qualities.

In collaboration with designer Willo Perron, the studio produced a 65-foot custom table and eighty transparent chairs for USM Modular Furniture, establishing a spatial framework that anchored the installation in architectural rhythm and communal scale.

By night, the exhibition shifted into a dining environment in partnership with culinary collective We Are Ona. Draped silk partially veiled the automobiles, heightening shadow and contour, and transforming the setting into an immersive stage for a series of intimate dinners.

Location

Los Angeles

Year

2024

Role

Curation, Creative Direction, Spatial Storytelling

Collaborators

Damon Jones, Willo Perron, USM Modular Furniture, We Are Ona, The West Hollywood EDITION

Credits

Culinary partner: We Are Ona