From left to right, Ernst Fischer, Sebastian Black and Ben Hall, in discussion at 2739 Edwin Gallery.

On Saturday, May 25th, Ben Hall sat down with cohorts Ernst Fischer and Sebastian Black to discuss themes and concepts around his show, “Let’s Don’t Take No Chance,” which opened at 2739 Edwin Gallery on April 27th and closed with this open discussion that included audience participation from the crowd on hand.

Scattered throughout the gallery are pieces that went unlisted, including this self-reflective piece.

The conversation was far ranging, touching on a number of themes both in and outside the confines of the gallery, including Detroit in general, and Hall’s business model at the popular Russell Street Deli in Detroit’s Eastern Market. It seems that whatever the medium, including business, Hall strives to cast off expectations and redefine the rules. He characterized the show as a “parlor trick,” whereby the mechanisms that keep his seemingly unsteady large-scale sculptures from collapsing are revealed to the patient viewer—as opposed to a “magic trick” where the trick is held in secrecy.

Many of Hall’s pieces [“texas on the bottom and new york on the right”] seem impervious to physics.Fischer, as a non-native, provided a critical outside viewpoint, stating that one of the things which is compelling about Detroit to the newcomer is encountering so much infrastructure that has lost its intended use. I find that idea central to Hall’s collection, as his accumulated materials have all passed through their intended purpose to find new life in Hall’s creations. (Many of those present referred to Hall’s accumulated materials as as “found objects,” but any accomplished hoarder can see are built to suit artistic purposes, as they arise out of a painstakingly accumulated collection.)

“trick candle,” one of the pieces that most simply captures the wicked humor present in Hall’s work.

Also present is Hall’s strong personality, an essence in the work, which he described as a kind of “refusal” to behave according to expectations. I would go a step further, to say that Hall’s statues represent a kind of defiance, present in the work, the man and the city. They might be funny, they might look a little rough, but none of these things are going to fall down just because you expect them to.

2739 Edwin Gallery: 2739 Edwin St., Hamtramck; 2739edwin.com. Gallery hours are Saturdays, 1-6 p.m. or by appointment (available by emailing [email protected]).