Harboring twin obsessions with artificial food and "the relationship between the beautiful and the brutal," mixed-media sculptor Scott Hove creates stifling rooms made of confections, turning the prototypical pale-pink wedding cake into a domicile that is 100 percent likely to be haunted by the ghost of Marie Antoinette. For his Guns and Ecstasy exhibit, which opens May 2 at San Francisco's Spoke Art, Hove congests narrow hallways with gobs of artificial frosting and fake orange slices, strawberries, and peaches. "All beautiful things are equipped with a defense mechanism, to protect against the predations of those who seek to possess," he says. "The mechanizations of the predator also have a terrifying elegance. The two working together tell a very old story." To further the aggressive beauty theme of his "Cakeland" installations, Hove adds to the mix taxidermy jaws, pills, guns, and switchblades. Hand-made chandeliers, full-length mirrors, and theatrical lighting are all icing on the—nope, no, sorry, can't do it.
To make the cake parts of his installations, Hove carves polyurethane foam with Japanese woodcarving knives, topping off each piece with thick acrylic gel, piped using regular pastry bags.
More fascinating artistry babble:
· Preview: Scott Hove's "Guns & Ecstasy" at Spoke Art [Hi Fructose via Architizer]
· All Edible Complex posts [Curbed National]
Loading comments...