Evan Roth

Evan Roth

Work from Propulsion Paintings.

“…His approach and work process takes inspiration from the free software movement and hacker ethos. The “hack”, a term stemming from early computing culture, describes a clever (often playful) intervention into an existing system that alters the intended purposes or meaning. Like the judo fighter using his opponent’s weight to his own advantage, a hack alters the originally intended purpose and turns it into something new. When creating works, Roth extends this metaphor to contemporary culture, and uses it to explore its function in public space, the gallery, pop culture, activism and the Internet.

For Welcome to Detroit, Evan mines everything from the spray paint can, to hip-hop music, to airplane shopping magazines and flight safety cards, resulting in a show that moves freely across media, but always with a sense of pop cultural pranksterism. From individual art objects to video pieces to documentation, the work is designed to simultaneously serve as a record of activity and creative output, while also underscoring important issues concerning copyright, public space, and our offline and online identities.” – Gregory Tom.