Kozo and CART DEPT Present Permanent Impermanence

A New Exhibition at Free Parking | May 15 – May 24, 2026 | 16 Morton Street, New York, NY 10014

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, May 15, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Multidisciplinary artist Kozo joins forces with CART Department to present Permanent Impermanence, a new body of work on view at Free Parking from May 15-24. The exhibition marks Kozo's most ambitious presentation to date, bringing together painting, mixed media, and a monumental automotive centerpiece.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
Permanent Impermanence finds its foundation in the immigrant's journey — the radical act of leaving one's origin to engineer a different life. Drawing from classical art history and the textures of contemporary urban life, Kozo constructs a world in which the massive and the minute coexist, and where the marks of labor endure long after the moment has passed.

At the heart of the exhibition is a 1965 Ford Mustang Coupe, painted at Red Hook Detail Co., across which Kozo has meticulously rendered François Lemoyne's The Apotheosis of Hercules — the celebrated ceiling of the Salon d'Hercule at Versailles. By translating one of the great monuments of Western painting onto an American industrial form, Kozo creates a direct collision between Old Master grandeur and the muscle of the machine age.

The surrounding 24 works extend this language in two directions. Four original oil paintings explore scale and historical resonance, while a series of mixed-media unique variants pay tribute to Kozo's roots as a tattoo artist. Each begins with a lithographic print serving as a tattoo stencil, then is layered with graphite, acrylic, and tattoo ink applied by gun — with the needle embedded near the signature as a permanent relic of the act. Developed in series of 15 or 25, no two pieces are identical.

Throughout, the work is animated by Kozo's personal mantras — "I was created to create," "Fuck normal I want magic," and "The only way out is through" — the internal dialogue of an artist for whom creation is transformation.

On Thursday, May 14th, Kozo and CART Department hosted a private press preview presented by Illy and Ruinart, ahead of the public opening. That evening, Kozo and CART Department co-hosted an exclusive dinner with Danny Winer, bringing together artists, collectors, and tastemakers to celebrate the show — served by HexClad with menus by Chef Rōze. Hennessy poured throughout the evening, presenting rare casks and limited expressions displayed as art objects alongside the works on view.

Jewelry brand DYNE by Sarah Ysabel Narici also showcased throughout the exhibit, with pieces on view that mirror the exhibition’s dialogue between permanence, craft, and material culture. Additional programming is planned throughout the weekend, featuring live appearances by Kozo, giveaways, and more.

“Kozo felt like a natural evolution for our Artist Garage series. His practice sits at a rare intersection—a classically trained eye working through tattoo, translating art history across canvas and steel. What drew us in is how easily he moves between worlds: museum and street, monumental and intimate.” - CART Department

ABOUT KOZO
Kozo is a New York-based artist whose practice bridges classical art traditions with a sharp, contemporary visual language. Originally trained as a tattoo artist, Kozo now works across painting, sculpture, and mixed media to explore themes of permanence and the resonance of human presence within cultural institutions. His work has been exhibited internationally in prestigious galleries and art fairs, and he maintains a studio practice with a substantial waitlist. High-profile creative partnerships include Maison Margiela and Lemonade. Kozo has cultivated a global community of over one million followers drawn to the evolution of his practice and the technicality of his process.

ABOUT CART DEPARTMENT
CART Department is a cultural platform devoted to the automobile as an artistic and social artifact. Moving between past and present, it explores how cars shape identity, aesthetics, and collective imagination. Through considered storytelling and curated moments, CART Department creates a singular cultural space at the intersection of automotive culture, art, and design. Permanent Impermanence follows recent CART Department programming including exhibitions with Keith Haring and Ai Weiwei.

ABOUT FREE PARKING
Located in the West Village neighborhood of Manhattan, Free Parking is a 3,000 square-foot white-cube space functioning as CART Department's exhibition and events location. The gallery occupies the ground floor of a 19th-century carriage house and is fitted with a functioning garage door to host multiple automobiles for bespoke CART Department shows and programs.

Kevin McIntosh Jr.
KMJR.World
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