Satiate your pop art taste buds with curated works from Ed Ruscha at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. The exhibit, Ed Ruscha Then & Now: Paintings from the 1960s and 2000s, opens this Saturday, Jan. 30. Ed Ruscha transcends archetypal pop art culture with his deadpan bite and use of eccentric and unconventional materials such as gunpowder, blood and Pepto Bismol. Much of his work is drawn from the offbeat energy of Los Angeles, which becomes translated into laconic phrases and words with a backdrop of familiar images or muted shades. He draws inspiration from the media and consumerist culture as well as the architecture of the City of Angels.

The exhibit’s philosophy mirrors that of his most recent photographic book “Every Building on The Sunset Strip” (1966) in which he reconnects with past work — Ruscha is one to stay committed to particular subjects and themes, always revisiting ideas and deriving new means of representation. This exhibition mimics this tendency, highlighting the maturation and metamorphosis of his work, along with the shifts in culture that he then presents. His long-rooted connection with the museum culminates into a total of thirty pieces by the artist, many of which can be viewed in this exhibit until April 24 this year.