In Capital Project: Covered Site (LH1), Peter Hopkins produces
extraordinary and seductive surfaces and then makes us look again by
questioning what is below the gloss. He uses mixed media to create images of
beauty, which emphasize the sensual and tactile. Hopkins’ painting is reminiscent of a stained
glass window - an art form that has captivated audiences for
centuries- yet the resin covered surface and his intent are completely contemporary.
These “paintings” are made without brush or paint. They are constructed of
materials such as cheap glittery fabrics, holographic foils, cleaning products,
cosmetics and even surgical and medical dyes. Conceptually Hopkins is asking us to consider the
dichotomies between inside and outside, public and private, and the natural versus the social. He awes us with the beauty of materials that in another
context as chemicals or waste, would be seen as toxic or repulsive. His
paintings seem to undulate as we walk by: as the light changes so do their
colors, in this way the viewer becomes a part of the work itself. Our
perceptions, our vantage point determines what we are seeing, and so suggests
that the art object is not a stable thing, but a complex of physical and social “facts”
that are always shifting in their relationship to the viewer. Ultimately, Hopkins is urging us to
look beyond the beautiful surface of the exterior to find a more subtle
understanding through both emotional response and analytic self-reflection.
Click here for Cerritos Library sound clip description of this painting