Why settle for a box of candy when you can immerse yourself in a giant maze that resembles a giant and ever-so-menacing dessert? If you’re in Los Angeles in the next month, stop by Think Tank Gallery for “Break Bread,” a 7,500 square foot, collaborative installation by artists Scott Hove and Baker’s Son.
The art is inspired by a Cirque du Soliel Show (Las Vegas’ Zumanity, the company’s first “mature adult audiences only” show), so despite its theme it is most definitely not aimed at the typical Candyland demographic. It’s set up as a walking tour that leads visitors through “tech-based mirror mazes” past an ice cream truck, a bar and a lounge, and a “secret 1950’s style diner in the back,” which will offer food from local chefs throughout the show’s run.
Of the artists, the gallery notes:
Scott Hove’s installations are at once decadent and repulsive, seductive and vile, playful and grave, immersing the viewer in multilayered and tantalizing worlds. His acrylic frosted works draw our attention to the dualistic nature of every vice – we enjoy them, even find solace in them, but ultimately yield unsavory results.
Baker’s Son found solidarity through food. His pop-style hyper realistic watercolor paintings of tempting consumer goods are simultaneously enticing and repulsive underneath their glossy, sugary exteriors ... by highlighting the beauty and temptation that consumer goods create, we see in stark contrast the darker undertones that permeate his paintings – speaking to institutionalized phobia, violence in underserved communities, and perhaps most vividly, the overconsumption inherent in our society.
The image at the top of this post is from a 2013 staging of Hove’s ongoing “Cakeland” series; the “Break Bread” version will be even larger and contain even more sugary/sinister elements.
Here’s one more. Note the fangs!
“Break Bread” opens today, February 13, and runs through March 13 at Think Tank Gallery in downtown Los Angeles. Meet the artists (Hove calls the show “the ultimate date destination”) and learn more about their inspirations and techniques in this short video:
[H/t LA Times]
Credit for all images: Think Tank Gallery