ART-PRESENTATION: Steven Hull-Our Little Chapel by the Lake…

Left: Steven Hull, Dehumanization is such a big word. It's been around since William the Third. Part Five, 2019, Acrylic on canvas (framed), 223.5 x 175.3 x 5.1 cm, © Steven Hull, Courtesy the artist and Meliksetian|Briggs. Right: Steven Hull, Our Little Chapel by the Lake - The Transformation of Jesus Christ-Part I, Installation view at Meliksetian|Briggs-West Hollywood, 2019 , Courtesy the artist and Meliksetian|BriggsSteven Hull explores the various ways that painting, sound and sculpture interact, and even overlap, where a flat image can appear to be dimensional, and a sculptural piece can feel image-based. Hull has a distinctive and characteristic visual style – angular figures, bold, graphic lines and marks in black, contrasted with vivid, sometimes shocking color, and recurring imagery.

By Dimitris Lempesis
Photo: Meliksetian|Briggs Archive

The exhibition “Our Little Chapel by the Lake: The Transformation of Jesus Christ” continues Steven Hull’s interest in the nautical, carnivalesque and theatrical, combined with incisive social commentary about politics, society, and religion in our current era. The exhibition is presented in three parts; the first a show of abstract paintings and a kinetic sculpture with sound, the second a show of figurative paintings and sculpture, and the third a record release and performance to close the exhibition. Drawing on the legacy of West Coast legends like Edward Kienholz and Chris Burden, combining the tragicomic, satiric, and eccentric with despair, pathos and melancholy, hope and optimism continue to endure in Hull’s environments. Part I of the exhibition features a 3.5 meter tall chapel in the gallery, flanked by totem-like abstract painting, at once combining elements of gestural abstraction with rigid geometrical forms. Inside the chapel, a motor home festooned with the  Stars and Stripes, sits atop an ark and floats upon a body of “water”, spinning slowly in circles and headed nowhere. Part II will open on April 27, and features figurative paintings along with sculptures made of found and salvaged objects. Filled with strange, colorfully painted, totem-like figures seemingly drawn from an old-time carnival or amusement show, and presented against stark near-black backgrounds, Hull makes hauntingly beautiful and extraordinary scenes in his charac-teristic style recalling German figurative art of the 1920s and 30s with a analogous critical and sardon-ic view of its time.  Part III, a one day event and performance on May26, will feature the release of “Soaring High Above”, a record of experimental vaudeville music and five covers of the song Kites by Simon Dupree. The song will be performed by a live band in an environment featuring a group of stacked paintings and a stage made by Hull. His diverse interests and methods have led him to undertake a varied range of projects, which at times have included long-term collaborative efforts with other artists, musicians, and writers resulting in ambitious traveling shows and exhibition catalogues. Hull has organized nu­merous publications and exhibitions including “Blind Date” (1998), a catalogue of 31 artists and writers’ collaborations; “I’m Still In Love With You” (1998-99), an album and catalogue in which visual artists and writers respond to the 1972 album by Al Green; “Song Poems” (2000-01), a catalogue with three CDs of 43 original lyrics, songs and album art contributed by numerous writers, artists and musicians; and “Nothing Moments” (2007), a publishing and curatorial project consisting of 24 limited edition books and over 400 original drawings. Hull was the co-founder of the artist-run space La Cienegas Projects that ran from 2009-2011 and presented over sixty artist projects.

Info: Meliksetian|Briggs, 313 N Fairfax Avenue, West Hollywood, Duration: 23/3-25/5/19, Days & Hours: Tue-Sat 12:00-17:00, www.meliksetianbriggs.com

Left: Steven Hull, Dehumanization is such a big word. It's been around since William the Third. Part Three, 2019, Acrylic on canvas (framed), 223.5 x 175.3 x 5.1 cm, © Steven Hull, Courtesy the artist and Meliksetian|Briggs. Center: Steven Hull, Dehumanization is such a big word. It's been around since William the Third. Part Four, 2019, Acrylic on wood panel (framed), 223.5 x 175.3 x 5.1 cm, © Steven Hull, Courtesy the artist and Meliksetian|Briggs. Right: Steven Hull, Dehumanization is such a big word. It's been around since William the Third. Part Two, 2019, Acrylic on canvas (framed), 223.5 x 175.3 x 5.1 cm, © Steven Hull, Courtesy the artist and Meliksetian|Briggs
Left: Steven Hull, Dehumanization is such a big word. It’s been around since William the Third. Part Three, 2019, Acrylic on canvas (framed), 223.5 x 175.3 x 5.1 cm, © Steven Hull, Courtesy the artist and Meliksetian|Briggs. Center: Steven Hull, Dehumanization is such a big word. It’s been around since William the Third. Part Four, 2019, Acrylic on wood panel (framed), 223.5 x 175.3 x 5.1 cm, © Steven Hull, Courtesy the artist and Meliksetian|Briggs. Right: Steven Hull, Dehumanization is such a big word. It’s been around since William the Third. Part Two, 2019, Acrylic on canvas (framed), 223.5 x 175.3 x 5.1 cm, © Steven Hull, Courtesy the artist and Meliksetian|Briggs

 

 

Steven Hull, Our Little Chapel by the Lake: The Transformation of Jesus Christ (Detail), 2019, Mixed media: Wood, gesso, plastic models, wood pipes, plastic flags, plastic flowers, electric motor, and speaker with soundtrack, 345.4 x 157.5 x 274.3 cm, Unique, © Steven Hull, Courtesy the artist and Meliksetian|Briggs
Steven Hull, Our Little Chapel by the Lake: The Transformation of Jesus Christ (Detail), 2019, Mixed media: Wood, gesso, plastic models, wood pipes, plastic flags, plastic flowers, electric motor, and speaker with soundtrack, 345.4 x 157.5 x 274.3 cm, Unique, © Steven Hull, Courtesy the artist and Meliksetian|Briggs

 

 

Steven Hull, Our Little Chapel by the Lake: The Transformation of Jesus Christ (Detail), 2019, Mixed media: Wood, gesso, plastic models, wood pipes, plastic flags, plastic flowers, electric motor, and speaker with soundtrack, 345.4 x 157.5 x 274.3 cm, Unique, © Steven Hull, Courtesy the artist and Meliksetian|Briggs
Steven Hull, Our Little Chapel by the Lake: The Transformation of Jesus Christ (Detail), 2019, Mixed media: Wood, gesso, plastic models, wood pipes, plastic flags, plastic flowers, electric motor, and speaker with soundtrack, 345.4 x 157.5 x 274.3 cm, Unique, © Steven Hull, Courtesy the artist and Meliksetian|Briggs

 

 

Steven Hull, Our Little Chapel by the Lake: The Transformation of Jesus Christ (Detail), 2019, Mixed media: Wood, gesso, plastic models, wood pipes, plastic flags, plastic flowers, electric motor, and speaker with soundtrack, 345.4 x 157.5 x 274.3 cm, Unique, © Steven Hull, Courtesy the artist and Meliksetian|Briggs
Steven Hull, Our Little Chapel by the Lake: The Transformation of Jesus Christ (Detail), 2019, Mixed media: Wood, gesso, plastic models, wood pipes, plastic flags, plastic flowers, electric motor, and speaker with soundtrack, 345.4 x 157.5 x 274.3 cm, Unique, © Steven Hull, Courtesy the artist and Meliksetian|Briggs

 

 

Steven Hull, Our Little Chapel by the Lake - The Transformation of Jesus Christ-Part I, Installation view at Meliksetian|Briggs-West Hollywood, 2019 , Courtesy the artist and Meliksetian|Briggs
Steven Hull, Our Little Chapel by the Lake – The Transformation of Jesus Christ-Part I, Installation view at Meliksetian|Briggs-West Hollywood, 2019 , Courtesy the artist and Meliksetian|Briggs