The city of West Hollywood announces the installation of “Not every pearl has its oyster,” a temporary public artwork by artist Heimir Bjorgulfsson, as part of its Art on the Outside program at Plummer Park, located at 7377 Santa Monica Blvd. The art installation will remain on view through March 2026.

“Not every pearl has its oyster” is a ready-made outdoor sculpture in the form of a traffic sign depicting a man riding a donkey and holding a carrot on a stick to lead it. The work is installed in the center of Plummer Park, between Fiesta Hall and Long Hall.

The sign sculpture sets an unexpected, unrealistic and quite baffling scenario for viewers to observe and imagine. The intention behind the work is to prompt viewers to reflect on their relationship, expectations and experiences of the natural vs. man-made environments and how these perceptions are shaped according to varying cultural identities and personal characteristics. The artist wants the viewers to question their assumption of such a sign subjectively and to appreciate its awkwardness and the possibility that a narrative can take shape. In many ways, it is a tool to make the viewer imagine and put themselves into the shoes of others. The sculpture was exhibited once before, at the “Joshua Treenial: Event Horizon” in Joshua Tree in 2017.

Bjorgulfsson creates artworks that introduce questions rather than offer solutions. He is interested in mankind’s clash with nature, however subtle or absurd, and its unpredictable consequences, examining how animal species adapt to changing habitats and enduring the effects of urbanization and climate change.

The Art on the Outside Program is the city’s temporary art program that installs rotating artworks throughout the city.

For information about West Hollywood arts programming, visit weho.org/arts.