PREVIEW: Scott Hove - “Guns and Ecstasy” @ Spoke Art Gallery [San Francisco]

Bay Area artist, Scott Hove works in one of the more unique mediums that we’ve ever come across: fake cakes. More specifically, Scott creates meticulously crafted sculptures and installations which resemble elaborately decorated pastries, often with a vicious, deviant undercurrent. We first had the opportunity to check out his work first hand 2 years ago, during the Hi Fructose group show invitational at Roq La Rue in Seattle, and it’s definitely something that you’re going to want to see in person. And, if you can get down to San Francisco’s Spoke Art gallery tonight for the opening of Hove‘s new solo exhibit, “Guns and Ecstasy,” you’ll not only have that opportunity, but a chance to meet the artist in person, as well.

From what we’ve already seen, this exhibit is looking pretty nuts. Here’s some more detail of what you can expect, via the press release:

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.

And here’s what the artist, himself, has to say about his new work:

“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-discoecstasy- 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!”

Make sure to check out the preview images and a special video featuring Scott Hove demonstrating his technique and speaking about his creation process, after the following event details…

WHAT:

Spoke Art Presents
Scott Hove : “Guns and Ecstacy
an exhibition of new works and installation

WHEN:

Opening:
Thursday, May 2nd
6pm-10pm

WHERE:

Spoke Art Gallery
816 Sutter St.
San Francisco, CA 94109

ADDITIONAL INFO:

Opening is ALL AGES w/NO COVER
Complimentary beverages
Artists will be in attendance
Show will be on view until Saturday, May 25th
Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/449213065163402/

[vimeo]https://vimeo.com/54177455[/vimeo]

[click images to enlarge]

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