until Sunday May 30 2010

Galleria OHWOW

New York
United States

OHWOW
Karina Ors
T : +1 (305) 633 9345
F : +1 (305) 633 9498
karina@oh-wow.com
www.oh-wow.com

In his first solo show in New York, titled “If you don’t belong - don’t be long”, the American artist Scott Campbell will present a series of his trademark cut currency work and three dimensional pieces alongside prints and hologram paintings.

His subject matter and iconography translate blue-collar grit and the lore of tattoo culture. Although communicating with this lowbrow parlance, he delivers work that is supremely defined, deliberate and meticulously executed.

“Destroy to create” is a way to describe the creative process, as Campbell continues his investigation of recontextualizing money through his cut stacks of one-dollar bills; he transforms actual currency into elaborate bas-reliefs. By cutting each dollar, individually, then arranging them into 100-dollar stacks, he creates highly detailed pieces portraying decorative images or ornamental text, resembling ornate filigree work.
There is an opposition present between the medium and the effigy- an untouched material portrays a morbid subject. The imaginary alludes to destruction, yet sculptured from the currency with which we trade our time and energy.

Along with the currency series, Campbell will exhibit a collection of hologram paintings as well as a collection of etchings printed from copper plates “tattooed” in the same manner as actual skin. The work pays homage to the thousands of stories Campbell has committed to flesh.
This exposition exemplifies Campbell’s mastery of his imaginary, highlights our complicated relationship with money, and reveals his continued concern with the human condition.