varnishes:
Kelsey Elder
Strip malls and store front signage are examples of authentic American
By taking an object of mass industry and highly decorating it and fetishizing it, it sort of becomes a subversive performer in the landscape itself. Driving and flipping switches, it’s a way of defining social space as your own. When we cruise and meet up in strip mall parking lots, it’s a way of taking ownership over the architectural remains of that industry emphasis – lowriding and GTG’s turns these spaces into a space for community. Strip mall parking lots and signage – that’s what often is visually surrounding us, in a very basic way. I can’t help but see lowriding, graphic design, and typography intrinsically
Kelsey Elder in conversation with Clare Gatto
Documentation Harrison Moenich
Image of car supplied by Kelsey Elder