WHIMSY BEHIND THE WHEEL

Alake Shilling's trippy 25-foot inflatable sculpture greets visitors to the Hammer Museum as part of Made in L.A.

- Jessica Gelt

"WHEN I think about things, I kind of convert them into cartoon characters," says Alake Shilling of her artwork such as "Buggy Bear Crashes Made in L.A.," on display outside the Hammer, above.

A new fantastical character is making an appearance at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Glendon Avenue in Westwood, just outside UCLA's Hammer Museum.

"Buggy Bear Crashes Made in L.A." is a 25-foot inflatable sculpture of a bear driving a convertible atop a daisy-dotted road. It's created by Alake Shilling and presented in partnership with Art Production Fund as a companion piece to the museum's seventh Made in L.A. biennial, which celebrates artists working in various disciplines in the sprawling metropolis.

"Everyone will have their opinions and critiques," Shilling said of her psychedelic creation just before the piece was inflated for a test run before Saturday's opening night party. "I'm excited to hear them and also very nervous."

Shilling, 32, also has a series of sculptures and paintings in the Made in L.A. exhibit, which features the work of 28 artists, including Alonzo Davis, Ali Eyal, Gabriela Ruiz, Hanna Hur, Leilah Weinraub and John Knight.

Shilling's singular work reflects her earnest, optimistic nature but also her sense of realism and hard-earned experience. Her art features cute animals the kind a child might cuddle with but with thoughtful, melancholy features and expressions, as if they are grappling with a recent misfortune or trying to navigate a hard day.