KOBALT GALLERY presents "WHAT'S INSIDE" NEW WORK BY DAVE LARO
DAVE LARO has
spent the better part of the past two decades quietly, almost covertly
creating a story book whose pages take form as super realistic oversized
hand carved objects, or repetitious iconic imagery purposely arranged
out of context, and even the most familiar paragons of pop culture
contrasted with contemporary ideology. As story teller,
Laro unsuspectingly lures the viewer into his work, first with an
immediate response to the visual impact of color, composition, and
craftsmanship, and then with a blindsided hook that makes it impossible
to walk away without trying to get inside of the artist's head. At
times, Laro's "unwritten stories" run as deep as the viewer dares to
go, while others reveal with the simplicity of a nursery rhyme. Much
of Laro's materials are retrieved from long forgotten relics that find
their way to an attic corner, basement shelf, or if lucky, to a flea
market where Dave may opt to give them a second chance. Laro's
work breathes new life into the abandoned in a way that can be
uncharacteristically provocative, politically suggestive, and
unquestionably deliberate.
"What's
Inside" presents in a somewhat more introspective manner than Laro's
2012 debut at Kobalt Gallery, but is keenly charged with the wit and
wisdom of the native Vermonter's perspective on everything from war to
childhood nightmares to sex appeal. Each of Laro's new
constructions are born of his ability to see things beneath the surface,
and consummated at the hands of a master craftsman.
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