Exhibitions

Salon Highlight: Sam Keller

August 21 - September 18, 2021

The Louis Buhl Salon showcases a changing selection of new and archived editions and projects; it balances the exclusive offering of a traditional gallery with the accessibility of retail, presenting high-quality print and art object editions alongside a curated selection of art books, ceramics, artist-designed fashions, and unique collaborative products. The heart of the space is centered around our Salon Highlight, a special means of exhibiting a rotating assortment of unique works by selected artists. The latest Salon Highlight installment features the works of Los Angeles-based artist Sam Keller and is on display from August 21 - September 18, 2021.

Using consumer products, food items, and found objects, Keller rethinks the purpose of the ordinary in an attempt to mock power structures and expose the contradictions between artist, viewer, and commodity. His work parodies the inescapability of capitalism in the everyday, transforming recognizable objects with preexisting cultural and commercial meanings as a way to call their "value" into question. Keller’s Salon Highlight focuses on his ‘Can’ series, in which the artist collects found, crushed beverage cans and transforms them into glimmering works of art through the application of Swarovski crystals. The finished product of this invented technique is playful and glamourous, yet the abandoned and meaningless nature of the work’s foundation introduces a deeper narrative surrounding society’s perception of worth.

“In my ‘Can’ series, I start with found, littered, and automobile-flattened aluminum beverage cans, and meticulously cover the entire surface with Swarovski crystals. Using this highly-ornate material, these works aim to challenge the perception of cultural and financial value through the ironic juxtaposition between the discarded and the decorative.” — Sam Keller

Salon Highlight: Sam Keller is on view from August 21 through September 18, 2021.