In False Monarchy, Philadelphia-based artist Kyle Kogut uses the practices and symbols of occultism and the ubiquitous iconography of auto industry kitsch to explore the contemporary politics of American myth and despair. False Monarchy is on view at the Stamp Gallery at the University of Maryland, College Park, January 24 through March 17, 2018.

This solo exhibition, curated by Raino Isto, presents a collection of new installations, objects, and two-dimensional works by Kogut, all examining the disturbing effects of America’s continued attachment to the myth of heavy industry as a miraculous source of economic growth and consumer euphoria. Kogut—the son of an auto mechanic—works in response to his own family background and upbringing, considering how narratives of the artist’s creative expression relate to labor, class, and mortality.

The work in False Monarchy includes a number of Kogut’s recent drawings, which are influenced by the visual idioms of American automotive propaganda, as well as by the precision and themes of Northern Renaissance draughtsmanship. Kogut’s work considers both the nihilistic and liberatory possibilities of repetitive, detail-oriented artistic practice, and links these processes to modes of self-creation that challenge dominant narratives of American society. At the same time, he explores a wide range of artistic influences, from Albrecht Dürer and Francisco de Goya, to Philip Guston and Jen Ray.

False Monarchy also includes an immersive sculpture and video installation that combines the extended soundscapes of drone metal with the meditative environments and symbology of the occult, inflected by Kogut’s abiding interest in the practices of chaos magick. As an environment, False Monarchy encourages critical overidentification with the metaphysical structures of American late capitalism, and reflection on the self-destructive direction of contemporary American politics.