Mike Egan – ‘Let It Kill You’ @ Copro Gallery [Santa Monica]

This Saturday, June 14th artist Mike Egan opens his latest solo exhibition at Copro Gallery in Santa Monica, CA. Titled ‘Let It Kill You,’ the new colleciton features 21 acrylic paintings in Egan’s trademark aesthetic featuring dynamic color and bold lines.

We’ve been following Mike‘s work for quite awhile and he’s currently producing some of the strongest output to date. Ten years ago, I posted a preview to a solo exhibition held at the now-defunct Gauntlet Gallery in San Francisco. In that writeup, I stated the following:

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“Egan‘s bio references “influences including folk art, the day of the dead, horror films, religion, Halloween and German Expressionism,” impacts which are all easily recognizable within this work. Meanwhile, his history as a printmaker has clearly translated to the graphic aesthetic of his paintings, while becoming a “licensed embalmer/funeral director,” after attending the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science, undoubtedly informs much of the subject matter that he’s chosen to explore.“

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I further suggested that Egan was “someone who is not only willing, but compelled, to explore ideas that terrify so many of us, from a low-stress place of analytical wonderment, and a genuine desire to better understand our place in the world as spiritual and organic lifeforms. Lifeforms that are all going to fucking die, someday, and organic matter that will return to the Earth. Mortality is a ghost that haunts itself; our death, a looming inevitability ever present in our subconscious. It motivates some, paralyzes others, and for many, it can’t come soon enough.“

What did I mean by that exactly? No… seriously. A decade later, that, admittedly, reads as a little unhinged. The main point is that Egan has expressed interest in the human condition, what drives us as a species, and what makes us who and what we are. His updated bio. He offers the following insight about his latest work.

“Ever since I found myself in the hospital a few years ago, I’ve been obsessed with the idea of everything that’s going on inside of us. My new show explores these themes.“

The exhibition will run July 12th, but if you’re able to make it out to the opening, that’s always recommended.

Check out a selection of preview images below, after the following event details.

WHAT:

Let It Kill You
Mike Egan solo exhibition

WHEN:

Saturday, June 14th, 2025
6pm-10pm

WHERE:

Copro Gallery
Bergamot Station Arts Complex
2525 Michigan Ave , Unit T5
Santa Monica , CA 90404
Ph: 310-829-2156

ADDITIONAL INFO:

Opening is all ages
Artists will be in attendance
Show runs until Saturday, July 12th
Gallery hours: Sat. 1 – 5pm (otherwise, by appointment)
Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1025672726379638

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