Archie Scott Gobber
If you’ve ever been at a loss for words, then you will recognize and appreciate the precision of Archie Scott Gobber’s use of text in paintings, sculpture, and works on paper. In 1998, Gobber was the youngest artist to receive the recently established Charlotte Street Award for artistic excellence. Gobber found the calling of early inspiration in the nostalgic and iconic signage of a bygone era, referencing the imagery and text of promotion, propaganda, and pinup. Since then, however, Gobber has turned his attention toward the politics of world opinion, global events, and personal conviction to inform his artistic vision.
Specific to moment or milieu, the artist’s messages have grown increasingly concise. While his work often comments clearly on perceptions and responses to events that happen to and around us, it manages to do so in such a way that allows space for a viewer’s own response and interpretation. Gobber’s handling of found and selected materials and the manners of manipulation he employs have gained from a growing sense of confidence, but the works also benefit from his steady infusion of wit, punning, and open-ended meaning.
What grounds and distinguishes Gobber’s most recent work is the delicate interplay between the personal, the artistic, and the political. The artist has been strategic in his appropriation and projection of voice, intentionally blurring the boundaries of authoritarian directive and internal questioning. Considerations of leadership and craftsmanship, alike, are cause for the artist to invite speculation about the way we look and listen. Ultimately, the artist reminds us—just as he is mindful himself— that we all assume public responsibility for the choices and decisions we make as we form our opinions, develop our convictions, and move through the world.
—Raechell Smith
Archie Scott Gobber’s artist page from CSF’s “10″ (PDF)
To visit Archie Scott Gobber’s website, click here.
