Fear and Loathing on the Gonzo Art Trail: Ralph Steadman show opens in Torrance

Somewhere between the glow of a screen in hand and the laminated tabletop at Cafe 50’s Diner, sticky with syrup and lined with chrome trim, considerations of spectacle and consumerism quietly creep in. Another slice of Southern California’s participatory culture, maybe, built to be documented as much as experienced. The Gonzo Art Trail leans into it.

The Gonzo Art Trail, tied to the traveling exhibition “Ralph Steadman: And Another Thing” opening March 28 at the Torrance Art Museum, asks participants to complete a series of app-based “missions” across Los Angeles, document their experiences and upload them through the Goosechase platform.

The exhibition itself spans more than six decades of Steadman’s work, from his collaborations with Hunter S. Thompson to his independent drawings, political illustrations and literary projects.

The trail's format draws on the “gonzo” approach associated with Thompson. His Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, first published in Rolling Stone with illustrations by Steadman, helped define gonzo journalism by inserting the writer directly into the story.

Steadman’s inky illustrations then accompanied Thompson’s campaign reporting in Rolling Stone, later collected as the book Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ’72. The pair continued to collaborate on various projects through the 1980s and into the 1990s. The trail’s emphasis on participation lands less as a gimmick than a continuation of that approach.

“As we developed the Gonzo Art Trail, we realized that we were creating a very gonzo experience, encouraging people to put themselves centrally in their own narrative,” said Sadie Williams, director of the Ralph Steadman Art Collection and co-curator of the show.

“It wasn't necessarily a conscious decision but serendipitously it resonated with the gonzo philosophy.”

Though Steadman is perhaps best known for his collaborations with Thompson, the exhibition focuses on his wider body of work across his over 60-year career, positioning him not just as the writer’s collaborator but as the defining figure in the visual language of gonzodom.

Williams told Urgent Matter that the idea for the Gonzo Art Trail came after spotting Steadman's “Treasure Island” illustrations as she was selecting promotional images to market the exhibition’s Torrance stop.

“I wondered if we could develop some sort of treasure hunt across LA to market the exhibition and encourage community involvement,” Williams said. “We wanted to get people out and about on the streets of L.A. to take part in events and activities or just experience the city in a new way.”

Many of the trail’s activities take place across Los Angeles, Torrance and Santa Monica rather than inside the Torrance Art Museum itself. Williams said exhibition coordinator Andrea Harris, who lives in L.A., visited businesses across the region and found ways they felt comfortable being involved.

“We want to drive people to visit local businesses and support them but also connect with a broader community,” Williams said.

Book Soup, an independent bookstore in West Hollywood, is hosting a talk and “book splatting” while Graphaids Art Supplies has put together a Steadman Art Kit—with a spiral-bound Pentalic sketchbook and a clear-bodied Lamy fountain pen with ink cartridge refills—to encourage people to draw and create like the artist.

“We definitely targeted businesses that we thought would match the Steadman and Gonzo sensibilities,” Williams said. “Luckily, Andrea knows the city well and had a good sense of where she might find willing partners for the trail.”

One of the trail’s prompts takes place in a café. The mission lists several suggestions, including Cafe 50’s Diner, and asks participants to relax for an hour and draw what they see, as Steadman would often do.

“He always had a sketchbook and a biro with him so he could capture an interesting character or sketch an idea that might later become a complete artwork,” Williams said. “It encourages the mission goer to take a bit of time away from their daily chores and duties; observe the world around them; and appreciate small, quirky nuances of everyday life.”

Not all missions and events require being in Los Angeles. Some involve uploading selfies by a mural or dressing up as Hunter S. Thompson, which can be done worldwide.

“As we created each mission, we realized that limiting the Gonzo Art Trail to Southern California would exclude too many of Ralph Steadman's fans around the world,” Williams said. “We hope that people all over the world will take part, even if they only complete one or two missions.”

The program culminates with the exhibition at Torrance Art Museum. Participating in the Gonzo Art Trail is also meant to offer additional insight before the show opens. The trail has been live on Goosechase since March 1.

“The Gonzo Art Trail has the added bonus of bringing an artistic and creative motive to the tasks,” Williams said. “Sometimes, people can feel quite daunted by the concept of art, believing it might be beyond their comprehension, when in reality it can be as natural and easy to incorporate into daily life as breathing.”