WHO: Darren Hostetter
WHAT: Clusterfubar
WHEN: October 30 - December 31, 2010
WHERE: Sam Lee Gallery
990 North Hill Street #190
Los Angeles, CA 90012
WHY: At first, Darren Hostetter's paintings look somewhat innocent; perhaps it has to do with the miniaturization of the war weaponry he depicts or his retro color palette; either way, it becomes clear, through this likening of weapons with toys, that Hostetter has a thing or two to say about our socio-political conditions.
Clusterfubar as a word does not exist in the English dictionary. Los Angeles-based artist Darren Hostetter uses this invented title, part word and part acronym, as a moniker to describe our current socio-political climate. In his 2nd solo exhibition, the artist offers his latest series of 30 paintings that focuses on the all-encompassing industry of war, exploring conflicting cultural ideologies through the depiction of low- versus high-technological weaponry. Systems of devastation and surveillance such as suicide vests, improvised explosive devices, laser and GPS-guided missiles, submarines, helicopters and unmanned aerial satellites and cameras take center stage. What are these devices guarding and inspecting? Who's operating them? Hostetter's paintings elicit multiple readings, never providing only one answer and always posing questions.
(From: Sam Lee Gallery)
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