Summary
- Slawn and Opake’s “Super Toy” pop-up lands in Los Angeles on May 9 (6 p.m. – 10 p.m.) at Secret Walls, featuring 350 hand-painted skate decks created collaboratively over the past few months.
- The one-night opening also celebrates their joint Hypebeast Magazine Issue 37 cover, marking the latest chapter in their ongoing, boundary-pushing partnership.
London’s most disruptive pairing, Slawn and Opake, reunite once again, this time bringing their latest project stateside. Opening May 9 at Secret Walls with support from START Los Angeles and Spraying Bricks, “Super Toy” is a full-scale tribute to skate culture, anchored by 350 original, hand-painted skate decks created collaboratively over the past few months. “Slawn ran out of money and couldn’t afford a skateboard anymore…so we painted 350,” Opake tells Hypebeast. The show arrives shortly after the duo’s joint effort on one of three limited-edition covers for Hypebeast Magazine No. 37: The Architects Issue.
Kemka Ajoku/Hypebeast
Kemka Ajoku/Hypebeast
Kemka Ajoku/Hypebeast
Their creative dialogue has been building in public for some time. During last year’s Miami Art Week, the two staged Heroes, Villains and Violence at The Art of Hip Hop, while earlier projects like TABOO pushed at the boundaries of taste, censorship, and control. That same project saw Opake step in as guest editor for The Big Issue, designing the cover and sitting down with Slawn for a conversation that cut through labels, faith, addiction, and the value of breaking rules altogether.
Slawn/Opake
Slawn/Opake
Speaking on their collaborative process for The Architects Issue, Opake frames it simply: “When it’s just me, I can spend hours obsessing over a single line. When I’m working with him, it becomes a conversation.” He continues, “He’ll do something that completely breaks the ‘rules’ I’ve set for myself. At first, I panic, but then I realize that’s where the energy is. The ‘mistakes’ are usually the most interesting part of the painting.”
“Super Toy” opens May 9, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., with a launch event that doubles as a celebration of Hypebeast Magazine Issue 37. Copies will be available on-site while supplies last. RSVP for the event here.
Secret Walls 2270 / 2272 Venice Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90006
May 9, 2026 6 p.m. – 10 p.m.
