Invite Lost In The Post

Neon commission for Kensington + Chelsea Art Week, installed at The Exhibitionist Hotel

LUAP has unveiled a new neon work, Invite Lost In The Post, commissioned by Kensington + Chelsea Art Week. Installed in a mirrored corridor at The Exhibitionist Hotel, the piece features his signature Pink Bear figure, now rendered in glowing light rather than paint.

Above the Bear, two balloons alternate in a gentle loop — one smiling, drifting upward, the other frowning, slowly sinking. The shift is simple but effective, mimicking the emotional seesaw between optimism and doubt.

The work addresses a universal and often unspoken experience: the feeling of being excluded. Whether it’s not receiving a party invite, or simply scrolling through curated lives online and sensing you’ve been left out of something, the result is the same — a quiet disconnection. The Pink Bear stands in this space of ambiguity, open-armed and unsure. It doesn’t plead or protest. It just waits.

The title, Invite Lost In The Post, reframes that feeling. It suggests a softer explanation — that absence isn’t always rejection, and silence isn’t necessarily personal. In a time when everything is expected to be instant and intentional, the idea that something could simply be missed feels both mundane and strangely comforting.

Commissioned by KCAW, the work marks a shift in LUAP’s practice. Known for bold, expressive paintings exploring mental health and memory, here he leans into restraint. The use of light and repetition creates a slower rhythm, allowing for a different kind of engagement — quieter, but just as pointed.

Invite Lost In The Post continues LUAP’s interest in emotional vulnerability, using the Pink Bear not as a mascot but as a proxy — one caught in the push and pull of human experience. It’s not a grand gesture. It’s a small interruption. A flicker of uncertainty rendered in neon.