Artist: Jason Maloney
Artwork: Don’t Hug Me
Medium: Razor Wire, Fencing, Steel, and Enamel Paint
Year: 2011
I don’t particularly like it when people get too close to me and invade my personal bubble, so I could instantly relate to Jason Maloney’s latest sculpture entitled Don’t Hug Me – featuring it’s own self-defense mechanism of actual razor wire. And I especially got super stoked when Jason told me that he hand-painted and lettered the plaque in the upper right of the piece with some good ol’ fashioned one-shot enamel paint – since so many artists today would just take the easy route of using printed typography.
Yes, all the razor wire is real and sharp, so if you get the opportunity to see it, get up close, but not close enough to rip yourself to shreds like I almost did several times – granted I do have quite the schnoz. Currently the piece is kind of a secret, since it’s located in Jason’s office at the Hurley Int’l headquarters in Costa Mesa, CA, but I would love to see the sculpture in a gallery scenario since it would definitely add some playful danger to the otherwise safe surroundings of four white walls and a desk. – Daniel Rolnik
