UNIX Gallery presents The Humiliations, an exhibition of new paintings by Los Angeles-based Justin Bower. This is the artist’s second solo show with UNIX Gallery, 532 W 24th St. New York, NY, and is on view from September 10 - October 17, 2015. The opening reception will be held on Thursday, September 10, 2015 from 6 - 8 PM.
Justin Bower, known for his anonymous portraits, uses his brushstrokes to give us an understanding of an extensive subconscious reaction to technology. The fragmentation of his subjects is a reflection of today’s generational influence from technology. He intends to identify this disjunction and offer a perspective of techno saturation.
“The fracturing of the human, doubling of sense organs, opening of the flesh….are all ‘Humiliations’ to the autonomous and free willed human of the past,” explains the artist. “The uniqueness of the human species is contested by biotechnology and genetics; the singularity of the human mind is undermined by informatics, robotics, and artificial intelligence.”
Deeply influenced by philosophy and the notion of how we interact with technology today, Bower deftly communicates his message with an incredibly labor-intensive technique. Only creating ten to twelve works annually, he is able to execute a tight, mechanized aesthetic with a series of organic, witting strokes. It is this analogue technique that separates Justin Bower as an oil painter; each exactingly crafted canvas encompasses the kinetic feeling of humanity’s singularity transitioning from one moment to another.
Born in 1975 in San Francisco, Justin Bower graduated in 2010 with a Master’s of Fine Arts from the Claremont Graduate University. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Arizona in Art and Philosophy. The artist lives and works in Los Angeles, CA.
Since he started exhibiting in the early 2000s, Bower’s work has been the subject of several solo and group exhibitions including the Museum of Art & History – MOAH, Lancaster, CA (2016) and Torrance Art Museum, Los Angeles (2013, 2010). The artist has also been the recipient of numerous grants and awards, including the Feitelson Fellowship Grant (2010), the Joan Mitchell Award Nominee (2010), Four Outstanding Fellowships from Claremont Graduate University (2008-2009), TACFA (Tustin Area Council of Fine Arts) Grant (2008), and Orange County Arts Grant for Drawing, Painting, and Printmaking - Honorable Mention (2007).
Bower’s artwork has been published in American Art Collector (April 2015); Modern Painters (September 2013: 100 Best Fall Shows), Studio Visit Magazine (2013 cover); Huffington Post (October 2011); Artillery Magazine (December 2010); the LA Times (December 2010), and New American Paintings (December 2010).