An Inexhaustive Study of Power with Laurel Roth Hope
The use of a religious aesthetic throughout the show also speaks a language of power. Andy’s celestial glass and mirror Sky Void and Laurel’s gilded starling explosions echo and complement each other’s brightly radiating sunbursts. Manifest Destiny #1 and #2 are inspired by the exponential population explosions of the invasive European Starling, now the most common bird in North America, which is displacing and out-competing native songbirds. Where these two pieces explode outwards from their center points, Sky Void’s celestial, radiating geometry contains a mirrored portal at its center. The Beautiful Void series represents organizing belief systems – religion, science, and change – that continue to modify and redistribute power over time.