Bow, 2022, mixed media – approx. 28 x 50 x 74”
Conceived for CAR SHOW at Erin Stump Projects, Bow references Lexus’s “December to Remember” advertising campaigns. Launched in 1998, they established the visual lexicon of a festooned vehicle. The oversized, red car bow has since become a kitsch-pop cultural symbol. Aspirational and luxurious, it is synonymous with extravagant gift giving, and prizes.
This work offers a softer, more succulent, and melancholic rendering of the commercially available bows. Displayed on the floor, it marks the absence of a car, turning the focus toward objects of celebration and the aftermath of excitement.
Bow is fabricated by hand, using layers of fabric and stabilizer to create a long, continuous ribbon tied into in 12 equal loops. Its presentation requires hands-on styling/effort to smooth and plump the loops, never appearing exactly the same twice.
Image credit: LF Documentation
Installation views of CAR SHOW, 2022 at Erin Stump Projects September 1 – October 1, 2022. Iris Fraser-Gudrunas Kelly Jazvac Charlene K. Lau Cameron Lee, Alvin Luong, Jon Sasaki, Liana Schmidt. Organized by Charlene K. Lau, Cameron Lee, Liana Schmidt.
Thank you to the Toronto Arts Council for supporting this exhibition.
