Czech Republic born and Italy based Vojtěch Kovařík came to the United States for The Cabin LA  Residency in August of 2019. First recalls that Kovařík was supposed to arrive at The Cabin LA at  around noon, so, when 3:00 PM rolled around and Kovařík was still not there, First was concerned.  He went on his phone to see that Kovařík had gone live on Instagram at the Hollywood Walk of  Fame! Kovařík’s excitement to see Los Angeles did not stop him from creating several monumental  works during his time at the residency. Often inspired by Greek Mythology, contemporary imagery,  and political propaganda, Kovařík’s large-scale pieces typical depict a figure who is seemingly  compressed and constrained by the canvases’ frame and the additional painted boarder that Kovařík  frequently includes. In this piece, Laokoon, we see the head, forearm, and torso of a figure whose  eyes stare fixedly out at something beyond the scene. Twisted around their hand, shoulder, and  forearm is a black snake whose piercing green eye looks directly at the viewer. Given Kovařík’s  interest in mythology, it is likely that this is intended to represent the Trojan man, Laocoön (or  Laokoon), who was viciously killed by serpents along with his two sons. The story is most iconically  rendered in the marble sculpture, Laocoön and His Sons, housed at the Vatican. Kovařík is  represented by Galerie Derouillon and Mendes Wood DM.