David Hutson: Memory & Desire, a Personal Exploration of Neon Art Past and Present

Recognizing its cross-over appeal, Laumeier Sculpture Park’s 2018 Kranzberg series David Hutson, Memory & Desire: A Personal Exploration of Neon Art, Past and Present showcases a large-scale outdoor neon sculpture paired with Hutson’s extensive collection of reclaimed and restored vintage neon signs, alongside, and in conversation with, a diverse grouping of sculptures from his current body of work.

Known locally for his neon sign conservation efforts, this exhibition sets the stage for Hutson to communicate his philosophy of this exclusive medium mixing rare earth gasses and fragile glass. “Neon has a kinetic feel, a seductive allure,” and according to Hutson, a South St. Louis native, influenced by his commercial artist father, neon is grounded in place and history. Hutson developed a fascination with neon at an early age: “As a teenager I began scouring the nooks and crannies of my home city for neon relics of a bygone era.” Part of that collection was seen at Laumeier in 1984 in the exhibition Neon 1-2-3 when he was just 17. Since then, his budding fascination became a vocation, with an expanded collection and countless hours devoted to the painstaking fabrication process, he deepened his bond to neon, testing both concepts and technique.

For Hutson, the words “memory” and “desire” resonate deeply within the work and have become the catalyst for the concepts forming the exhibition. “For so many people, vintage neon signs evoke strong feelings of nostalgia. It rekindles fond memories of childhood; an apparently ‘simpler’ or less complex life,” notes Hutson.

The exhibition’s mixture of original work by Hutson and restored vintage signs is staged in a way to activate imaginations through this retro, yet timeless medium of bendy gas. Hutson’s collection represents a flickering portrait of bygone days and defunct businesses in our region, but their reinstallation here provides a gleaming hope for the future.

Hutson is an oddity in his choice of material as he continues to make new work that expresses neon’s power. Exhibiting this work in parallel to reclaimed lighting highlights Hutson’s desire to showcase the evolution, continued relevance and impact of neon art.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website