Between wedding cakes bursting with fangs and icing-piped assault rifles, it’s not hard to see why the art of Scott Hove has gained such a strong following. A new exhibition and installation at Spoke Art in San Francisco called “Guns and Ecstasy” looks to cement his reputation of fusing fantasies and nightmares. Playing with social paranoia and our appetite for the absurd, Hove delivers an entertaining and immersive experience.
We last saw Hove exhibit during Miami Art Week, where his monster cakes entertained crowds as they hung mounted on demure wallpaper. This time, the artist has chosen to repurpose assault weapons by lacing them with intricate decorations. As the gun control debate wages on in the US, Hove feeds the fetishization surrounding instruments of war by mounting and beautifying the objects.
The site-specific installation “A Pentagonal Disco Infinity Chamber” thrusts visitors one-at-a-time into a space composed of icing and mirrors. Walking thorough pink hallways laced in white beading, Hove’s over-the-top style creates a microcosm for the sublimely weird and the over-saturated. A veritable wonderland of candied decadence that is topped off with a disco ball, his infinity chamber surpasses even the most absurd fantasies.
“Guns and Ecstasy” will run through 25 May 2013 at Spoke Art.
Images courtesy of the gallery. See more in the slideshow