"YOU FEEL the inexplicably greasy buttons of an old school uniform and are suddenly filled with rage. You fondly recall the snaps on a pair of jeans that were excitedly unfastened during your first sexual encounter. And you surely tallied the pearly rosettes on your mother's favorite blouse before the lid of her casket was unceremoniously lowered. Beau McCall understands the affective power of buttons-these commonplace household notions have captured his imagination for decades."
"Consider the appropriately titled Button Armor Ensemble, 2023, a yurt-like caftan that flares out generously at the bottom, engulfing the wearer in yards of sturdy dark denim. Topping off this defensive cloak is an unruly yet exquisitely conceived mesh of wires, festooned with a kaleidoscopic phalanx of buttons. On the artist's website, the work is ably modeled by his partner, Souleo, who resembles a prickly, poisonous flower; the charismatic leader of an über-chic cult;"
Beau McCall repurposes buttons into meticulously crafted sculptures and sculptural garments that evoke religious vestments, jewel-studded reliquaries, and battlefield armor. The work references intimate memories and charged affective moments tied to commonplace closures and fastenings. Signature pieces combine technical sophistication with theatricality, making garments appropriate for both ritual and the disco floor. The Button Armor Ensemble (2023) pairs denim caftans with wire meshes of buttons to produce protective, ornamental attire. Other works intervene in national and political iconography, replacing familiar symbols with motifs rendered in black, green, and red to articulate alternate allegiances and critique colonial histories.
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