{"id":244962,"date":"2026-01-21T20:57:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T20:57:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/244962\/"},"modified":"2026-01-21T20:57:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T20:57:13","slug":"austin-asspizza-babbit-x-cart-department-exhibition-new-york","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/244962\/","title":{"rendered":"Austin ‘Asspizza’ Babbit x CART Department Exhibition New York"},"content":{"rendered":"

Asspizza<\/a>, born Austin Babbitt, has a reputation that precedes him. Like any name plucked from the fashion mythology of 2010s SoHo, it\u2019s one that braces you for chaos.<\/p>\n

I sit opposite Babbitt at a West Village office in the hours leading up to his new art show, and, to my surprise, catch him in a serene state: putting finishing touches on a canvas, dousing it in loose, free-handed doodles. He bumps soft country music and hums back. Splayed across his all-new art car are thick Steve Jobs and Bruce Lee biographies he\u2019s ready to open once the show wraps, he says.<\/p>\n

Next after his 2024 debut<\/a>\u00a0with Amanda Bynes, last week the artist-designer unveiled his second exhibition with Larry Warsh<\/a>\u2019s CART Department<\/a> at its new space in lower Manhattan. On view through January 28, the show takes over Free Parking with an unmistakable hand. Feverish and acidic, yet quietly controlled. At the center sits a decked-out 1995 BMW 5 Series art car \u2014 the same ride used in Ai Weiwei\u2019s 2015 \u201cLego Car\u201d\u00a0installation \u2014 reworked into an Asspizza artifact made the CART collection.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cMy whole life has just been a race to catch up with myself.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Nearby, hand-painted, chain stitched canvases, and a towering archive of pieces pulled from Babbitt\u2019s personal archive brings his fashion and art practice into clearer conversation: recent 730 Pok\u00e9mon tees beside the infamous \u201cPablo\u201d bootleg, early Supreme made for Luka Sabbat and hundreds of garments in between.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cMy whole life has just been a race to catch up with myself,\u201d Babbitt tells me. After three years in Tennessee building out his own print factory, 730, he\u2019s made a homecoming back to New York. After a decade of living drop-to-drop, he\u2019s ready to slow things down and lock in on Asspizza, the artist \u2014 now older and steadier, yet still shiny with that serendipitous spark.\n<\/p>\n

On the occasion of his new exhibition, we caught up with Babbitt for a candid conversation about his road to contemporary art.\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

How have you seen yourself grow since your debut show?\n<\/p>\n

When I did that first show in 2024, I had just started making work. I rented a spot on Broadway for a month. It wasn\u2019t a real gallery, but I still sold paintings all by myself.\n<\/p>\n

This year, I want to focus on making more art. Back then, I got distracted because I needed to keep my business alive. Make money, sell clothes and do all this. But I\u2019ve always considered clothes art. It\u2019s just one of my outlets of creating.\n<\/p>\n

In the past you\u2019ve likened your one-of-one pieces to canvases. How long have you been painting?\n<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve always been drawing and just doing random sh*t. I\u2019ve been making canvases since 2013, but didn\u2019t take it seriously until my first show.\n<\/p>\n

Was there a moment you decided to go full throttle on the art, or was it more of a natural next step for you?\n<\/p>\n

It just came naturally. My problem has always been organization and doing things \u201ccorrectly.\u201d I operate by doing whatever I need to do to push forward. This year I\u2019m focused on thinking smart.\n<\/p>\n

Can you tell me about some of the other cars you\u2019ve painted in the past?\n<\/p>\n

My first car was a BMW I bought in LA. The first car I ever spray painted, though, was my friend\u2019s. I didn\u2019t have a license, and we would just drive them around. I got pulled over a bunch of times, but they always let me go because I sweet talked the police.\n<\/p>\n

It\u2019s all part of the plan.\n<\/p>\n

It is, for real.\n<\/p>\n

1 of 10<\/p>\n

\"Austin<\/p>\n

Courtesy Of The Artist And Cart Department\n<\/p>\n

2 of 10<\/p>\n

\"Austin<\/p>\n

Courtesy Of The Artist And Cart Department\n<\/p>\n

3 of 10<\/p>\n

\"Austin<\/p>\n

Courtesy Of The Artist And Cart Department\n<\/p>\n

4 of 10<\/p>\n

\"Austin<\/p>\n

Courtesy Of The Artist And Cart Department\n<\/p>\n

5 of 10<\/p>\n

\"Austin<\/p>\n

Courtesy Of The Artist And Cart Department\n<\/p>\n

6 of 10<\/p>\n

\"Austin<\/p>\n

Courtesy Of The Artist And Cart Department\n<\/p>\n

7 of 10<\/p>\n

\"Austin<\/p>\n

Courtesy Of The Artist And Cart Department\n<\/p>\n

8 of 10<\/p>\n

\"Austin<\/p>\n

Courtesy Of The Artist And Cart Department\n<\/p>\n

9 of 10<\/p>\n

\"Austin<\/p>\n

Courtesy Of The Artist And Cart Department\n<\/p>\n

10 of 10<\/p>\n

\"Austin<\/p>\n

Courtesy Of The Artist And Cart Department\n<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve been living in Tennessee for the last few years. What motivated the move and what brought you back to New York?\n<\/p>\n

I\u2019m from New York, born and raised. I was doing some side missions in LA for a little bit. I wanted to make a screen print shop out of the back of this music studio with my friend James, who already had a little operation in his garage. It was super expensive and just a process to try and buy the building, so I was like \u2018F*ck this. Let\u2019s rent a factory.\u2019\n<\/p>\n

We moved to Tennessee, found a spot, and started 730, which is where I print all my clothes. I was going back and forth between here and there for a while, but to make it work I had to lock in and move to Tennessee. I was there for like three years. We had a good time down there.\n<\/p>\n

I came back to New York because 730 is running itself. Now I have a studio here, and I\u2019m just focusing on creating the things that I\u2019m really passionate about.\n<\/p>\n

With the CART show, it feels fitting to ask how you got your license.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

I got it in Tennessee. It was so scary how easy it was. During the test, I ran a red light, but charmed the driving instructor. Under the wrap, there\u2019s a bunch of airbrushed pumpkins and the goblins. It looked crazy. I pulled up in this truck and she immediately got distracted, started talking about how her husband loves Halloween.\n<\/p>\n

How often are you driving your art cars?\n<\/p>\n

All the painted cars in LA, got towed and sold for parts. We don\u2019t have the registration to get them back. I had another pickup truck that I wrapped in an American flag print, which I gave away. I\u2019ve spray painted a lot of cars at meetups, so there\u2019s a few out there by now.\n<\/p>\n

1 of 6<\/p>\n

\"Austin<\/p>\n

Courtesy Of The Artist And Cart Department\n<\/p>\n

2 of 6<\/p>\n

\"Austin<\/p>\n

Courtesy Of The Artist And Cart Department\n<\/p>\n

3 of 6<\/p>\n

\"Austin<\/p>\n

Courtesy Of The Artist And Cart Department\n<\/p>\n

4 of 6<\/p>\n

\"Austin<\/p>\n

Courtesy Of The Artist And Cart Department\n<\/p>\n

5 of 6<\/p>\n

\"Austin<\/p>\n

Courtesy Of The Artist And Cart Department\n<\/p>\n

6 of 6<\/p>\n

\"Austin<\/p>\n

Courtesy Of The Artist And Cart Department\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI had to reignite the love for creating because I was stuck in a cycle of needing to drop something to stay alive. I\u2019m past that now.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

What\u2019s just been keeping you excited lately? What do you foresee for yourself this year?\n<\/p>\n

It\u2019s inspiring to remember that I can just make things and have fun. I had to reignite the love for creating because I was stuck in a cycle of needing to drop something to stay alive. I\u2019m past that now.\n<\/p>\n

I want to make clothes I\u2019m proud of. I want to make art I\u2019m proud of. I want to put the work in, and release what I want. That\u2019s what\u2019s keeping me going.\n<\/p>\n

With 730 up and running, what\u2019s it been like having more time and space to work on your art?\n<\/p>\n

I\u2019m trying to stay organized and keep this professional. I\u2019m learning as I go, and I\u2019m practicing in front of the world. No one teaches you this sh*t. I\u2019m really confident in my team, and without them, none of this would be possible. It\u2019s important to find people that\u2019ll play to your strengths.\n<\/p>\n

What\u2019s an outlook that steers your practice today?\n<\/p>\n

I gave up trying to make this work a long time ago, and decided to let God guide me. I can\u2019t explain the coincidences and the amount of stars that have lined up so perfectly for me. When you have pure intent, everything will come together for you. I wasn\u2019t always religious, but this life led me to believe in God.\n<\/p>\n

It sounds like you have a lot of faith in these kismet moments.\n<\/p>\n

The stress and burden of trying to balance all of this and trying to make it work will kill anyone. I\u2019ve already accepted that this could all fail tomorrow, but once you have faith and put your trust in God, you walk confidently, it all comes together. Everything happens for a reason. It\u2019s really insane.\n<\/p>\n

The good, the bad, they\u2019re just not just redirecting you, but \u2014\n<\/p>\n

Protecting you.\n<\/p>\n

1 of 2<\/p>\n

\"Austin<\/p>\n

Courtesy Of The Artist And Cart Department\n<\/p>\n

2 of 2<\/p>\n

\"Austin<\/p>\n

Courtesy Of The Artist And Cart Department\n<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone\u2019s been tricked to be mysterious, protect their image and be cool\u2026 You need to full send it.\n<\/p>\n

Speaking about fate, how did this collaboration with CART and Larry come about?\n<\/p>\n

Larry\u2019s son Jonah was getting into the history of SoHo fashion. He watched the live stream with Mike the Ruler, Luca and I, and liked it. When we met he told me that I should do a show with his dad. I was down. Him and Larry came to the studio, and we just connected. Now we\u2019re here.\n<\/p>\n

As someone who works in such a grey area between fashion, art and now streaming, what\u2019s your advice for people who want to make a name for themselves in the current cultural landscape?\n<\/p>\n

Everyone\u2019s been tricked to be mysterious, protect their image and be cool. Nowadays, everything is so fast and oversaturated, you have to just try everything and put yourself out there. People are too scared to be judged. You need to full send it because no one\u2019s gonna remember the TikTok you made, they\u2019re going to remember you.\n<\/p>\n

You\u2019re not gonna f*ck with every single drop. You\u2019re not gonna f*ck with every single video, but it\u2019s gonna get you to the level you want to be at. You have to adapt to the times and experiment because if you\u2019re not willing to do that, it\u2019s gonna be a lot harder. There\u2019s no predicting what will hit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Asspizza, born Austin Babbitt, has a reputation that precedes him. Like any name plucked from the fashion mythology…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":244963,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[442,498,499,500,501,156,111,139,69],"class_list":{"0":"post-244962","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-artsanddesign","11":"tag-artsdesign","12":"tag-design","13":"tag-entertainment","14":"tag-new-zealand","15":"tag-newzealand","16":"tag-nz"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244962","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=244962"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244962\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/244963"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=244962"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=244962"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=244962"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}