Meliksetian | Briggs is pleased to present Our Little Chapel by the Lake: The Transformation of Jesus Christ, Steven Hull’s second solo exhibition at the gallery.

The new exhibition will be 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.

The exhibition continues Hull’s interest in the nautical, carnivalesque and theatrical, combined with incisive social commentary about politics, society, and religion in our current era. Drawing on the legacy of West Coast legends like Kienholz and Burden, combining the tragicomic, satiric, and humorous tempered with pathos and melancholy, hope and optimism continue to endure in Hull’s environments.

Part I of the exhibition features a twelve foot 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 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 characteristic style recalling German figurative art of the 1920s and 30s with a analogous critical and sardonic view of its time.

Part III, a one day event and performance 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.

Steven Hull (b.1967, Los Angeles) received both his BFA and MFA from California Institute of the Arts / Cal Arts. He is established as an engaged and multi-faceted artistic and curatorial practitioner. 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 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.

In 2013, Hull participated in Glow, Santa Monica’s one night interactive art festival contributing a major light and sound installation for the event. In 2014, Hull was invited by actor and comedian Jack Black to create the visual environment for the second edition of Tenacious D’s Festival Supreme, a music and comedy festival in Los Angeles. Hull created a huge “art theme park” featuring installations, sculptures and performances by himself and others such as Jim Shaw and Marnie Weber. In 2017, Hull’s large-scale mural was unveiled in the city of La Jolla near San Diego, as part of the public art project Murals of La Jolla. Hull lives and works in Los Angeles.