Always Almost There

Date
29 September 2009

Always Almost There is the title of artist Scott Campbell’s new show at London gallery Lazarides. A truly superior craftsman, Scott’s work spans tattoos, paintings, drawings collage and his famous dollar bill sculptures. The show opens on Thursday and is a whole body of new work including some very special looking new sculptures. Scott’s over in London for the show and we caught up with him to shed a little more light on what he’s showing.

Hi Scott, for those of you who don’t know – how would you describe your practice?

I split my time up between drawing/painting, tattooing, and working on sculpture projects. I have “Saved Tattoo” in brooklyn, which is my home base, and it’s adjacent to my painting/sculpture studios.

You’ve exhibited at major galleries all over the world, how did this show at Lazarides come about?

I’ve been really good friends with patrick and patrick who do “FAILE” they’ve worked with them a long time, and recommended working with them.

Faile are obviously in Brooklyn too and there seems to be lots of great work coming out of there at the moment – why do you think that is?

Cheaper real estate. Most cities have a scummy neighborhood that the artists migrate to because they can afford to pursue their passions with the cost of living being less of a burden. Brooklyn is more raw, more industrial, yet still right on the periphery of all the stimulus that manhattan offers.

Is the show comprised entirely of dollar bill sculptures?

The show is about half dollar bill sculptures, and half drawings/paintings and other sculpture projects. I’m making a lot of the dollar bill pieces these days, but there are other sides of the story to tell. The dollar bills are a new medium that I’m really excited about. Being made of real money, the medium itself is a sort of artifact that’s passed through countless hands and pockets. has served countless needs. The message of the designs are amplified by the gravity of the medium.

What else have you got planned for your time in London?

I’m here for a little over a week, going to be taking a limited number of tattoo appointments over the days following the opening.

What’s next for you? More shows? More Tattoos?

After London, I head back to New York, and will be doing more tattooing for a month or so. Then I’ll cut back a bit and start working on a new body of work for a solo show in New York in the spring.

Private View Thursday 1 October
7pm — 10pm
Show runs until 30 October

Lazarides Gallery
8 Greek Street,
London W1D 4DG
+44 (0) 203 214 0055 / 0066
Monday – Friday 11am – 7pm
Saturday 12pm – 5pm.

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About the Author

Alex Bec

Alex joined as director in 2008 and oversees the commercial side of The HudsonBec Group which includes It's Nice That, Anyways, Lecture in Progress and If You Could Jobs. Contact him to discuss working with us on sponsored content, commercial partnerships, media partnerships and commissioning work.

alex@thehudsonbecgroup.com

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