Born Wild on Rodeo Drive: Richard Orlinski Breaks the Rules

Rodeo Drive has gone wild. Visitors to the luxury street have
fallen in love with eight colorful, life-size sculptures of
animals – Wild Kong, Standing Bear, Panda and Crocodile –
designed by the French artist Richard Orlinski, and part of this
summer's “Rodeo Drive Celebrates Fashion”.


But sculptures are only part of Orlinski’s multifaceted output.
He was the artist of record at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris,
he mixes up art with music and stand up comedy, and he has
partnerships with international brands including Lancome, Hublot,
Puma, and Disney. Now he has written a book – Pourquoi J'ai Cassé
les Codes, or “Why I Broke The Codes” – about his life of going
against the grain.


He stopped off recently in Beverly Hills, and talked with Lyn
Winter, host of Rodeo Drive - The Podcast, about his
unconventional approach to art and life, starting with why he
chose to celebrate wild animals in his sculpture.


Animals, he says, have much to teach humans, as they “obey a
virtuous circle,” and kill only for food, while humans kill for
nothing. He spoke about his personal experience with a violent
father, which also laid the ground for his future self: “I
realized very early that I have nobody to trust, so I was very
alone. And when you like that, you're angry, and you want to
succeed.”


He says that his fighting spirit helped him deal with initial
rejection from the Parisian art world, and develop his mass
appeal with a sense of freedom to do his own thing. “I'm not like
a niche artist,” he says. “I'm popular, but popular in a good
way. I create an emotion, even a bad emotion, but it is emotion.”


Orlinski explains his admiration for Andy Warhol, why he opened
his own chain of Orlinski galleries, and how he treats art more
like fashion - with seasons, and a branded experience that is
meant to be fun for people of all ages. The future of art
display, he says, is big spaces, where visitors can eat, spend
time, and enjoy a multisensory experience. “The competition is
always the same. So you have to create, invent something new, and
I think the artist and the galleries and the people in this
industry need to create something like that.”


He also talks about his book, Pourquoi J'ai Cassé les Codes,
which has been a hit with the French public. It’s a self-help
guide of sorts, delivering life lessons from his own experiences.
“Many people are very thankful about this book, because it helps
them to change, to listen to the little voice inside, to follow
their dreams.”


While seven of Orlinski’s wild creatures will leave Rodeo Drive,
one work will remain permanently on view. Which one might that
be, asked Winter.


“I think it's the Kong with a big heart, and written on the heart
is ‘Rodeo Drive’, responds Orlinski. “It fits with the place, and
it was made for it. This is the only piece that was really made
for it.”


Season 5 of Rodeo Drive – The Podcast is presented by the Rodeo
Drive Committee with the support of The Hayman Family, Two Rodeo
Drive, Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel, and the Beverly
Hills Conference & Visitors Bureau.


Season 5 Credits:


Executive Producer and Host: Lyn Winter


On behalf of the Rodeo Drive Committee: Kay Monica Rose


Scriptwriter and Editorial Advisor: Frances Anderton


Editor and Videographer: Hans Fjellestad


Theme music by Brian Banks


Production Assistant: Isabelle Alfonso


Listen, subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or
wherever you get your podcasts.


Visit the website: https://rodeodrive-bh.com/podcast/


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