Andrew Schoultz: “Fall Out” Opens at Mark Moore Gallery
In the streets of Milwaukee, a young Andrew Schoultz got arrested for skateboarding. Thanks to a babysitter, he fostered an interest in comic books. And in San Francisco he met a number of artists and began creating murals that would help him develop the artistic talent he displays today. Fast forward through the years and you get to the opening night of “Fall Out,” Schoultz’s current show at Mark Moore Gallery and Schoultz’s discussion of his art with Matt Gonzalez, former president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisor, currently chief attorney in that city’s public defender’s office and an artist himself.
I spoke with Andrew back in September as he completed a mural on the gallery’s outside wall and CARTWHEEL’s followed him ever since as he put many more notches under his art belt–including the acquisition one of his piece by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and Sean “Diddy” Combs’ purchase of two gold flag paintings at Miami Project during the December 2012 Miami Art Fairs.
The afternoon of “Fall Out” opening, he sat down before an audience–including many of us from CARTWHEEL–at Mark Moore Gallery with Matt Gonzalez. Schoultz shared his beginning with art, his move to California and the process behind his work. Gonzalez especially asked about the political messages behind Schoultz’s work to which the artist responded that he didn’t look to punch people in the face with his political beliefs, just to have them think.
He’s achieved that with “Fall Out.” Right when viewers walk in, they encounter a cannon, Fall Out, the show’s title piece,with what looks like melting gold sliding off its exterior. That gold–a well-known signal of economic power–continues to lose its solid existence, melting over flags and horses rearing like the ones ridden by the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Much of the installation creates an air of tension or unrest; small pieces of material resembling chunks of brick wall line the gallery accompanied by small, black ominous arrows and more melting gold. The theme of things falling apart runs throughout the show–the wall that only left behind these chunks, the walls in the canvases and even the importance of money. Schoultz continues to undermine the power of currency in even in the smallest details; if you look closely at Storm Weatherer you can spot small cut-out pieces of dollar bills. The price list says those pieces add up to around $2500.
Yet for all its seriousness, there lies some humor–and of course–a lot of undeniable beauty in the artist’s show. During his talk with Gonzalez, the artist shared that he found it ridiculous that the American flags he ordered were actually made in China, a fact that drew a chuckle from the audience. You can see those words emblazoned on some of the flags, a funny fact but also a surreal reminder of the prevalence of outsourcing jobs, as Schoultz himself mentioned.
What first drew me to the artist was his commitment to creating works–whether inside or outside–that intrigued from a distance but proved more mind-blowing when seen up close. Lines upon lines create the shape of horses, flags and other motifs in the show, and I could stand in front of a piece for minutes upon minutes. Give yourself a bit of time to see all of “Fall Out”–it’ll be worth the visit.
Side note: if you purchase a catalog from the show, look for CARTWHEEL’s photo credit! We caught some great photos of the mural outside which you can aloso find in our related posts links at the end of this post. I’m so excited to see what Schoultz does next.
Top: Andrew Schoultz (left) and Matt Gonzalez
Mark Moore Gallery
5790 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 453-3031
Tues – Sat 11 – 6 PM or by appointment
“Fall Out” runs until February 9
Photos: 2-11 Eva Recinos/CARTWHEEL; 12-21: Luis Ochoa/CARTWHEEL; 1, 22-26 Cindy Schwarzstein/CARTWHEEL