Lana Del Rey-Inspired Group Exhibition at PPOW Show Cringe and Collective Catharsis

Hope is a dangerous thing is PPOW’s latest group exhibition, featuring seven artists—each presenting their work as both an individual and as one collective voice. Running from June 6 to July 12, 2025, the work of Kyle Dunn, Raque Ford, Paul Kopkau, Diane Severin Nguyen, Kayode Ojo, Marianna Simnett, Robin F. Williams will be showcased—each work persisting in ambition, and reminding you that it matters.

Curated by Eden Deering, a curator and director at PPOW, the show brings together works that celebrate vulnerability and the discomfort of being seen. Inspired by the final track of Lana Del Rey’s 2019 album Norman Fucking Rockwell!, each piece in the exhibit retains its individuality while merging together into a shared landscape—one that replicate’s the iconic lens of Lana: personal, vague, genuine, and raw.

Personal connections to pop culture run throughout the entire exhibition. Each of the seven works draws from iconic pop culture moments and style, while being theatrical and exaggerated in order to turn familiar references into something emotionally and visibly bold. By looking inward at their own ideas of awkwardness and cringe, the artists embrace the transformative power of Lana’s music—using it to appreciate and showcase those parts of their identity through their work.

On June 12, 2025, a special program co-programmed by Eden and Rebecca Celli was presented as part of the exhibition. Hope is a dangerous thing: Evening of Film, Reading, and Performance featured films by Jake Brush, Darby Rottenberg, and Marianna Simnett, along with performances and readings by Michael Bullock, Raque Ford, Gabe Gordon, Wendy Lotterman, Kayode Ojo, and Qingyuan Deng. The evening sparked conversations about the depth of Lana’s influence within art and the exhibition.

Hope is a dangerous thing is more than just an art exhibit. At PPOW, it invites guests to dig deeper into the meaning behind each piece—both individually and collectively—while encouraging a deeper understanding of themselves in the process.