Jean Lowe will repurpose Quint Gallery into an unauthorized GMC auto dealership. The centerpiece of this simulation is the HUMMER EV, the recently-revealed electric reboot of the Hummer H2. Despite the H2’s loyal following and association with American military power and poor gas mileage, the era of this off-roading truck came to a close in 2009, ceasing production amid an economic recession and gas crisis.
Enter SWANK TANK: Lowe’s to-scale sculptural reproduction of the new electric Hummer SUPERTRUCK. Painted in Lowe’s immediate style, it measures 18 feet in length and is constructed from cardboard and wood supports centered on the gallery floor. Characteristics true to a car dealership are also manufactured through Lowe’s filter and immerse viewers in a caricature of luxury. Customers are invited to lounge on precisely reproduced modernist furniture, where they may enjoy some light reading while waiting to be attended to by a knowledgeable team member. In Lowe’s reimagining, the Quint Gallery staff is cast as Hummer representatives, the gallery walls lined with their portraits as well as other recent paintings by the artist and her husband, Kim MacConnel.
Lowe’s dedication to craft is invariably matched by her cleverly incisive approach to content, eschewing exact replicas for surreal interpretations of everyday objects that poke fun at our consumerist impulses.