Aaron Storck: Spring Theme / Sweep It Clean
About
SPRING CLEAN
PURE, YOU SHOWER
WASH
YOU SWEEP
I SAW THE DIRT
TOGETHER WE SAW
THE SPOTS—
I’LL CLEAN IT WITH YOU
WE’LL WIPE
MY HAND
YOURS
DOES THE CLEANING
MY HEART
OUR GLADNESS—
I’M GLAD I COULD HELP
NOW YOU CAN
GO AND HELP
TOO
TO CLEAN
LET’S MAKE THIS
YEAR SOMETHING
SPECIAL—
2024
The title of this show is Spring Theme / Sweep It Clean.
The wizard celebrates the Spring for its symbolic qualities of change, challenge and risk.
The wizard has his broom, the tool of magical flight, as well as his dustpan. He can perform cleaning and maintenance both literally and figuratively. A possible implication being that the artist Aaron Storck has tended to his tidying, and is now able to create paintings and other artworks that embody the exuberance and animal spirits of the Spring Theme.
He wants you to clean: to rise to the occasion, to be disciplined, and to judge between what’s trash and what’s valuable in your life.
He may help, but he ultimately wants you to deal with your crap. “I’m going to even metaphorically clean up your mess that you made, that you neglected to clean up” he admonishes in a 2023 video.
In a frightening new world, in which we are confronted by global warming and AI (among other challenges) one must do more than merely sweep and sort belongings. But the wizard seems to suggest that if you take to the broom and do your duty as he has, a mystical path awaits, a chance for adaptation through creativity and opportunity.
When the spring finally comes for you, you’ll want to be squared away.
Organizers
Aaron Storck: Spring Theme / Sweep It Clean is curated by Hesse McGraw.
Crossroads Hotel gallery and art program is organized by El Dorado and Contemporary Arts Museum Houston with Tiffany Meesha Thompson.