Special Gentlemen’s Time with Paul Hopkin

Paul Melvin Hopkin
June 6 - July 26, 2014
Curated by Jeffrey Grauel for Loo

Salad. Punishment for your desires. Light. Beautiful. Nutritious. “Let’s share a salad so we can have a double fudge sundae later!” Ripped, fractured shards of veg, fruits, and nuts lubricated and fanned out on the smallest plate in the dinnerware set. No imaginable battle was ever waged over a salad. They are without question. Hopkin meditates on this notion until all non-meaning meaning is reduced to form and color. Google “women laughing alone with salad.” His watercolor drawings let us enjoy salads honestly without having to pretend. They reach out to us on tiny scaffolding, assuring us it’s alright.

After your salad is tossed and thrown on a plate, you should serve it with a stiff shot. At least any gentleman would. Makgeolli. A Korean-style rice wine. Unfiltered, sweet, and effervescent. Hopkin calls on his ceramic skills to hand-build small cups with intricate textures that complement the drink and enhance the drinking experience.

For Hopkin, there is no line between food and art. Deep in conversation, it is nearly impossible to decipher if he describes a finely crafted tart or an unpalatable painting. Loo is delighted to lend its intimate setting for the deserved deep contemplation of this work.