18K GOLD TONE is pleased to present an exhibition of artists whose work investigates the conditions that distinguish the "real" from the "fake." The title comes from the suggestion of a pawnshop attendant who encouraged us to buy a fake engagement ring with a huge plastic diamond, saying, " It's so fake they'll think its real." The idea of course being that people would assume it must be real because no one would wear jewelry that was such a blatant imitation. Though a familiar practice in the world of material culture and marketing, this moment in particular made us think about the constant blurring of the system in place that delineates reality from fantasy and authenticity from simulation. What might happen if this system becomes so confused it disintegrates? When we can no longer discern the actual from the absurd where do our values fall? When the system is eliminated by subversion there lays a terrible and beautiful potential.
We feel that this group of artists, though entirely independent from one another in methodology, aesthetic and medium, is making work that contemplates these notions in a truly Baudrillardian fashion. This show will present a variety of work that spans from the completely fantastical to the hyper-real. By simulating and/or subverting the imagery and concepts of the establishment of the "Real", these artists are challenging its very existence. Everyday images and notions are reworked to the extent that some objects become mere caricatures in an almost sarcastic representation of the original.
Above image: Karin Seufert
Please contact the gallery with any questions.
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