Erik Hanson
May 27 - June 28, 2003
Opening Reception: Thursday, May 29, 6 - 8 pm
Derek Eller Gallery is pleased to present new work by Erik Hanson.
Erik Hanson’s artistic practice centers on his music collection. For him, the discovery of pop music at the age of 15 was a revelatory experience. While listening to songs that have helped shape who he’s become, he translates preexisting aural information into a handmade visual record of his own subjective listening experience. Through his work, he pays homage to the personal truths he was able to glean from the highly stylized overtly theatrical genres of glam and punk rock.
This show will include five new sculptures and an oil painting, all depicting things found in nature. "Elton John - Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy," a large work on canvas, was created during one listen of the album. Identifying with the record’s theme of the self as a construct over time, Hanson renders John’s songs as stars in the night sky. "Roxy Music - Siren,” references the first piece of recorded music that the artist bought as an adolescent, and takes the form of a birch tree cut open to reveal a record album at its core. "Roxy Music - Just Like You,” becomes graffiti-tagged clouds. The songs from the punk band Blondie's first album are translated as bright blades of grass emerging from the soil. In another piece, "Disco Songs I liked when I was a punk rock DJ,” he creates a blossoming branch, each sensual flower relating to a song that he liked, but felt he had to keep secret because of the incongruous stylistic differences of the punk rock youth culture in which he participated. A sign announcing a performance by Liza Minnelli is rendered in a style typically found in a park, further blurring the distinction between natural and cultural phenomena.
Erik Hanson’s work has appeared in numerous exhibitions throughout the United States, Europe, and South America. This will be his third show with the gallery.
Derek Eller Gallery is located at 526 West 25th Street, 2nd floor. Hours are Tuesday - Saturday from 11am - 6pm. For further information or visuals, please contact the gallery at 212.206.6411 or visit www.derekeller.com.