In conjunction with
@newartdealers , Baker—Hall will present SOS, a garden installation by Miami- based artist Justin H. Long. The large-scale work features a Laser sailboat positioned at seemingly impossible and precarious angle, with a palm tree sprouting in place of the mast. The lonely solitaire palm planted in the hull suggests the classic deserted island shipwreck, alone but making do, and using what is available to try to get help.
SOS is a maritime distress code, originating as a Morse code signal: 3 dots, 3 dashes, 3 dots. SOS is not an acronym, but provides a means to remember the code’s simple audio resonance. Through generations, people have sought meaning in the code to interpret it more as language, and backronyms have been created such as “Save our Ship” and “Save our Souls”.
We all have emergencies, some worse than others, and many would benefit from assistance. The SOS sculpture is a beacon asking for help. It invites us to check our ego, swallow our pride, and throw up our arms seeking aid. Be it that you can’t pay rent, got a flat tire, drank too much and had T Bell 4th meal, tariffs on your country, being deported to Sudan, gone bankrupt, the fart wasn’t just a fart, lost finger, stubbed toe or pulled a hammy. — Justin H. Long
A program of daily activations at the in the NADA garden are planned including artist talks, tours, and communal beer-drinking. Visit the Baker—Hall booth at NADA to access a limited edition companion SOS artwork, and for a checklist of available works by the artist.
