In Los Angeles, the culture of celebrity practically runs in the
water supply. I’ve recently moved to a studio space directly
below the Hollywood sign. As I’ve been working on this new
body of work, I constantly hear police sirens going off warning
tourists to stay away from the sign. This got me wondering
about what it is exactly that would compel a person to risk
injury and arrest for the chance to get next to and touch a
very simple structure of metal and wood. The sign promises
something, an association with something larger than life.
Something that represents stardom, talent, dreams…the cult
of celebrity. It was this that got me thinking about the idea
of cults.
California has a long history with cults. From the Merry
Pranksters, to Charles Manson, to Jim Jones, this culture runs
deep. But it is not these cults that I have been contemplating
so much. Those groups have been mined over and over
in contemporary art and I am not interested in rehashing.
I’m thinking more about the cults of personality, the cults of
particular social groups, the cults of belief systems, cults of
love, cults of acceptance, cults of success. This is what drives
people to risk life and limb to touch the Hollywood sign. This
is what interests me.
In thinking about this I’ve realized that there are small cults
all around me, and in all of our daily lives. While to some, this
word might evoke a negative connotation, I feel quite differently.
My close friends, other artists, musicians, filmmakers
and even my relationship with my wife are all CULTS. The
works in this show pay tribute to these groups, using graphic
elements rather than traditionally representational imagery
to produce graphic portraiture. These elements include
hand-lettering, symbolism and numerology, various pieces
of vintage clip art and simple shapes.
For many years my artistic practice involved the use of
graphic elements, u sually non-representational forms executed
in such a way as to blur the lines between high and
low cultures. I almost exclusively painted on found objects
as a way of literally going to war with the idea of a canvas.
However, over the last year I’ve reassessed this idea and have
begun creating wall works. This will be my first solo exhibition
where these works are shown. Art is much more than the
sum of the parts of its construction. Great art succeeds not
just because of the image, but also as the result of the cult
that surrounds it and gives it meaning.
Being that this will be the final exhibition at Circle Culture
Gallery in its current location, I cannot think of a more touching
sentiment. My exhibition is a tribute to all of the artists,
gallery staff, collectors and fans who have passed through
those doors on Gipsstraße. An entire community of people
dedicated to this strange cult that we call art.
Aaron Rose
