You might already know Parisian record label Ed Banger as the home of ultra-hip artists like Justice, Uffie, and Mr. Flash—so what were they doing repping at the corner of College and Robert on Thursday night? The answer is on the cover of nearly every Ed Banger release: the artwork of graphic designer So Me.

The inaugural exhibit of Studio Gallery (formerly known as Ourspace) had an impressive audience in attendance to lavish praise on So Me’s North American debut, Portraits.

Influenced by everything from ’60s French comic books to graffiti, and the mastermind behind award-winning music videos for Justice, DJ Mehdi, and Kanye West, So Me’s work has exploded internationally in the past few years. As an expression of Banger’s love for Toronto, So Me even created a series in his trademark style exclusively for the T-dot— vintage Jays caps and all.

Aptly titled Portraits, the exhibit is a magenta- heavy ode to the face of Ed Banger, namely the label’s founder and director, Pedro “Busy-P” Winters. So Me imagines Winter’s face in a variety of different contexts, even as an Olympic weightlifter—collect them all!

The special media preview for the exhibit featured the artist in attendance, alongside the dudes from Justice, fresh from their sold-out Sunday night gig at the Sound Academy, and Busy P, whose face was distributed to the guests in the form of both masks and buttons.

The preview party ran a little behind schedule with a slight air of frustration vented by the organizers, as a large portion of the evening was spent in a stark white-walled room awaiting the mounting of the artwork. However, Studio Gallery curator and U of T alumna Vanessa Gronowski maintained her optimism, patiently explaining that they had “just received the art yesterday.”

As it turns out, a laser printer in another room was birthing the pieces one by one as So Me’s crew frantically mounted them in frames, with volunteers rushing them straight to the walls for viewing.

One of the many magenta portraits of Busy P depicts a wet paintbrush in an artist’s hand over a half-completed face. With my broken French I was able to get in a brief word with So Me. “Always last minute!” he proclaimed. A sentiment I’m sure almost every artist can understand.

Located above the Savannah Room at 294 College St., Portraits runs from March 21 until May 17, 7-10 p.m. Check www.studio.to for more info.