Published February 2001 

Visual Artist Hollis Baptiste's
Guns Exhibit

Presented at SOF Art House

Guns, guns and more guns. Urban realist artist, Hollis Baptiste's solo exhibition, Gun Play will be on display at SOF Art House from February 8th to March 3rd, 2001. This much talked about Toronto artist is know for his imaginative use of found objects (steel, rubber, wood etc.), which he constructs into masks and freestanding sculptures.

Baptiste continues his dialogue, which addresses the values, placed on guns over food, health care, education, housing and quality daycare in our society. The Trinidadian-born artist utilizes children's toys and plastic neon coloured guns to form freestanding sculptures, assemblages and installations. Lizards with guns attached to their heads, and half human half donkey mutants with guns are part of his body of work.

Other works such as Eat of Me, relay the concept of those in power serving up violence on pretty plates or as the artist puts it "we are no longer shocked or appalled, we've become so comfortable with violence that we are consuming it." Baptiste attaches brightly coloured plastic toy guns ranging in shape and size to a variety of neon coloured plastic plates

"Guns on the plates reflect the accessibility of guns in society," he remarks "and how they're fed to children, and pushed on youth. When you're smaller, you can have that toy gun, but when you're older you can't and shouldn't have the real thing."

One of the artists strongest influences to-date is David Hammond. Baptiste agrees with Hammond's school of thought, which simply states:

"Confidence comes from the creative ability to make one's culture 'abstract' It is a gift that can be seen in the outer appearance of the work. In other words, it is an aura." Consequently, when you view Baptiste's works there will not be any reference to Black art. His main goal is to transform violence into a consciousness of aesthetic.

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