Since the first installment in 2016, ComplexCon has tapped some of the biggest names in the worlds of streetwear, art, and fashion to bring their own worlds to life on the convention floors in Long Beach and Las Vegas. Past artistic directors have included Virgil Abloh, Takashi Murakami, and Travis Scott. This year, Daniel Arsham is bringing his universe to the desert. Ahead of ComplexCon 2025, we spoke with Arsham about his plans for Vegas.
Daniel Arsham
What type of works are you bringing to ComplexCon?
It’s a mix of my archive and new stuff. I’m recreating a few massive installations that people may have seen over the years, but on a much larger scale than was possible when I initially exhibited them. One of the really cool things that we’re doing on Sunday morning is hosting a car event that will be outside of the convention center.
Can you talk about your vision for the Carsham section of the ComplexCon floor?
We built a full-scale gas station. The convenience store in the gas station is the shop where I’ve brought a bunch of merch—collaborations with Hidden New York, Malbon, that’s where it will all be. We’ll have everything from T-shirts to air caps for car tires. We’re also releasing a big collaboration with Hot Wheels, which was basically creating Hot Wheels miniatures of a number of my cars. We’re releasing one more that’s a surprise car that will be exclusive to ComplexCon.
Daniel Arsham
I also heard you’re bringing some sculptures.
They’re very realistic inflatables that don’t look like inflatables. One of them is this huge bust of a figure that looks like it’s submerged into the ground. The other one is a bust of Zeus, which was part of a project that I did a couple years ago from molds that are owned by the Louvre in Paris. They’re massive sculptures that people would be familiar with if they know my work. And if they don’t, they’re going to be like, “Holy shit. What the f**k is that?” They’re so big that you’re going to be able to see them over the tops of all of the different aspects. Imagine the size of a hot-air balloon.
Daniel Arsham
What other pieces are you excited about showing?
There’s this huge installation that we’re bringing, which is something that I originally exhibited in Milan during Salone. The installation won the design prize that year. The easiest way to describe it is a series of walls that are kind of broken through with a reflecting pool, so it feels like you’re walking into this infinity portal. We’re recreating that.
What drove you to tackle ComplexCon?
If you think about it like an exhibition, it’s going to be the most attended exhibition that I’ve ever done. I’ve done really large projects that were much more in a traditional art context in a museum. But this one, because it’s so connected to street culture and music, it’s different.
Daniel Arsham
What do you want the takeaway to be?
I think a lot of my work is surprising to people. It invites them to think about their everyday lives in different ways. When you’re confronted with objects from your own life as if you’re looking at them in a museum, I think it provokes curiosity. They’re confusing. That’s a really good place to be for people. I hope people are confused, in a good way.
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