Last week, New York-based artist Olek arrived in San Francisco to be greeted by John Law driving a truck pulling a wagon occupied by three giant, plastic dachshund heads in chef hats. The mascots of the now-defunct Bay Area diner chain, the Doggie Diner, these relics have been preserved by the Burning Man co-founder and originator of the Billboard Liberation Front (We first covered the Doggie Diner heads in Hi-Fructose Collected Edition Volume 1). Law asked Olek to crochet the doggies while she was in town to install a street art piece for Absolut Open Canvas.
“I highlight things that already exist. Something abandoned,” Olek told Hi-Fructose. As Olek covered the doggie heads in crochet, passersby would recall the now-forgotten diner chain, which shut down in 1986, and told her their personal stories. Later in the week, Olek installed a multiple-part street art piece — essentially a crochet mural — emblazoned with the text “$$$$$ Won’t Love You Back.” Created for the public art event Absolut Open Canvas in San Francisco, the piece was a continuation of her installation for Absolut Open Canvas in New York — a text-based piece that proclaimed “All You Need is Love and Money.” Hi-Fructose got the chance to watch Olek work while she was in town. Take a look at our exclusive photos below.
Passersby petting the dogs
Photo courtesy of Olek
Photo courtesy of Olek
Absolut Open Canvas:
Photo courtesy of Olek
Photo courtesy of Olek
Photo courtesy of Olek
