San Francisco, CA
Scott Hove - "Guns and Ecstasy"
solo exhibition at Spoke Art
May 2nd - May 25th
Spoke Art gallery is proud to present "Guns and Ecstasy" the latest solo show from Bay Area mixed media sculptor Scott Hove.
Following Hove's participation with Spoke Art at the recent Miami and New York City art fairs in 2012 and 2013, we are honored to have a new body of work by the artist on view in his hometown of San Francisco this month.
Known primarily for his ferocious cake and taxidermy sculptures, Hove expounds upon his unique medium in his latest body of work, "Guns and Ecstasy". For this exhibition, Hove has worked with repurposed and modified twelve assault weapons, and created what he calls "A Pentagonal Disco Infinity Chamber"... This is a one-person-at-a-time mirrored cake room with a disco ball and an endless sense of euphoric space.
Scott has this to say about the show:
"The title, "Guns and Ecstasy", alludes to having the freedom to choose a driving fantasy that will affect our outlook, which in turn directly affects everyone around us. We can choose a paranoia fantasy where we need to fortify against an imminent attack from uncontrollable aspect of a crumbling society, grasping for a sense of control. This position seems to be embodied and leveraged by the NRA, and the assault weapon has become the central fetish object of the dialogue. We can also choose to look for connection, beauty and celebration, and surrender ourselves to a world where nothing will ever be certain again."
"For this series of sculptures, I have chosen to give the hyper-masculinized aesthetic of the assault weapon a forced-feminization in the form of pretty cake decoration, and in the process deconstructed the paranoia aesthetic. I have also constructed a cake-disco-ecstasy-infinity chamber, the purpose of which is to offer a space to surrender one's paranoia fantasy to an experience of the ecstatic, thereby bringing the viewer back to a pre-paranoia state of being. It should also be noted that with these and all of my previous works, the distinction between safety and paranoia is never totally clear... good luck in making the right choice!"
"Guns and Ecstasy" opens Thursday, May 2nd with an opening reception from 6pm - 10pm. The artist will be in attendance and complimentary refreshments will be served.
The show will be on view through Saturday, May 25th.
Complete press kit including additional images can be downloaded:
https://www.yousendit.com/download/UVJpcXlzR3NmVGE1aWNUQw
"A Pentagonal Disco Infinity Chamber"
transportable immersive installation
interior view