Darkness cant drive out darkness, only light can do that
aluminum and neon, 9ft. tall x 18 x18 base
2010
Artist Eli Gold
Courtesy of the artist, Elisha Gold
Gold completed his MFA from the University of Memphis in 2009. Along with collaborator Colin Kidder he created the landmark Beacon sculpture to mark the burgeoning renaissance of the Crosstown area in 2012. He was also featured in the 10 Under 30 exhibition at the Dixon in 2011. This sculpture's title is inspired from a quote attributed to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., "Darkness can not drive out darkness, only light can do that". Wanting to create a sculpture that visually embodied the intensity of darkness being driven out by light, he chose an iconic form of hunting knife, specifically the blade from the film Rambo First Blood as a symbolic device resonant to his own cultural interests. In his words "By taking the image of Rambo's knife and transforming it from a weapon to a nonviolent object cutting darkness with a slice of white light I've created a metaphor with implicit pop culture (and even cross-cultural) references."
