Australian street artist David “MEGGS” Hooke celebrated the end of his residency at Detroit’s Inner State Gallery with the launch of his solo “Spoiled Rotten” show. The exhibit featured over 40 new paintings and multiple musings that touched on social morality, pop culture and materialism were out on display, all created in Detroit during his time spent. David displayed a recurring theme of deteriorating signage and scavenged materials with the split image of a happy face highlighting the conflict between Motor City’s successful past mixed with its current state of decline and its future as a place for growth and rebirth. The exhibit illustrates powerful images and messages mixed with playful images that cater as a balance between the two mediums. During the exhibit MEGGS spoke about the city’s contrast within itself that is different from other city’s he’s been to that he illustrated within his artwork by taking old materials that imply decay and recreating them to tell a story giving them second purpose. When interviewed he stated:
“This concept started when I saw a deflated happy face balloon, which is an image I’ve been obsessed with lately. The ‘happy’ balloon is a classic icon that depicts playfulness, optimism, and the idea of, “Have a nice day!” Yet, the balloon is also a very disposable item and has a limited life span. It deflates. I think this is something that people can identify with and it ties into that idea of duality in Detroit.”
To get an inside into the “Spoiled Rotten” show checkout the images of what happened below.
Follow
