We had the honor of working with Scott Campbell and the SAVED team in Miami for the Juxtapoz Clubhouse, and around the same time, Scott was opening a new solo show, Using All The Freedoms We Have, at Over the Influence in Hong Kong. The new show, on view through January 12, 2019, features a series of paper cut sculptures with US currency, shaped and manipulated into sculptural-type works.
From the gallery: Exploring the intersection of art and commerce, Campbell's multi-layered paper cut sculptures ingeniously juxtapose iconic imagery with American currency. Through a distinct and creative technical approach, Campbell exactingly carves symbolic imagery into sheets of uncut dollar bills. Employing a laser cutter, Campbell precisely renders large-scale sculptures of intricate design, uniquely creating the effect of a sunken relief. Contrasting the symbols of wealth with those of ephemerality and death, Campbell's three-dimensional money cuts proffer thoughtful questions regarding the state of the art world and the seemingly ever-proliferating role of capitalism. With ominous undertones and allusions to inevitable change and decay, Campbell's iconography references the vanitas themes found in 17th century Dutch religious paintings. Through the artist's signature style, memento mori objects such as skulls serve as explicit reminders of the vanity of earthly pleasures and goods. Examining the relationship between commerce and aesthetics, Campbell's striking, evocative sculptures reflect the artist's broad interrogation of the transitory nature of life, particularly the role of money as a corrupting influence upon aesthetic value.
