This image, which depicts neon words advertising the promise of dark, pornographic treats, is exemplary of Kost’s practice of making the underground aspects of life into beautiful, magical realms. Awash with purple, pink, and pale yellow, the glass of the marquee signs reflects the sunny, banal California street life that surrounds the pornography store, as well as the artist himself, whose face, obscured by his camera, is cradled by the “R” in “Girls.”

The Glamorous Monique is an image from Kost’s series Boulevard of Broken Dreams, which depicts the underbelly of Hollywood Boulevard, a location littered with strip malls and porn shops that belie the street name’s association with glamour and stardom.